Way to Go: Anjali Edmonds and Karina Ramnauth of Valley Stream

A dynamic duo from Valley Stream’s Shaw Avenue School won the championship in the New York City NBA Math Hoops Tournament.

Sixth-graders Anjali Edmonds and Karina Ramnauth, both 11, won the fourth annual tournament’s final round in overtime by a score of 30-29. This was the second consecutive year that students from Shaw Avenue, which is in Valley Stream school district 30, took first place.

The competition, held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, featured a fast-paced board game that allowed students to learn fundamental math skills by using statistics of NBA and WNBA players.

Each team consisted of two “coaches,” with one doing such tasks as rolling the dice and filling out the score sheet, while the other handled the timer and moved the player token.

“Anjali and Karina are very deserving champions, as they are excellent students who know how to work well with others no matter the situation or pressure,” Shaw Avenue Principal Alejandro Rivera said.

Schools in the Valley Stream 30 district helped students prepare by hosting the first districtwide NBA Math Hoops Tournament last month, just before the regional competition. The district also has Math Hoops Clubs at Shaw Avenue and its other two schools — Clear Stream Avenue and Forest Road elementary schools.

NBA Math Hoops was developed by the nonprofit Learn Fresh. — MICHAEL R. EBERT

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.