Honoring Peggy Marie Savage's fifth grade class at Richmond Elementary School and congratulating Renajd Rrapi for their respective team and individual second place finishes in the "First in Math" national competition.

WHEREAS, Suntex International, Inc., introduced the computer game “24” as a tool to make math appealing and accessible—thereby helping students to move on to excel in math, science and related fields; and

WHEREAS, First introduced in 2002, the “First in Math” Online Team concept uses the game “24” to offer substantive content that supports core curriculum and ties into national and state standards. Students progress at their own pace and their individual and team scores are recorded to be compared against 100,000 students in 25 different states; and

WHEREAS, The School District of Philadelphia began using “First in Math” last year to supplement the math curriculum and to help boost student test scores and Richmond Principal Anthony Ciampoli believes the game has succeeded and helped the school meet national requirements required by the No Child Left Behind Act; and

WHEREAS, In an environment where approximately 50% of the students speak English as a second-language, “First in Math” has made numbers and mathematics a universal language; and

WHEREAS, In November, Peggy Marie Savage's 30 fifth grade students, including Renajd Rrapi, competed in the “First in Math” contest. As a team and as an individual, the class and Renajd finished second; now therefore

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Honors Peggy Marie Savage's fifth grade class at Richmond Elementary School and congratulates Renajd Rrapi for their respective team and individual second place finishes in the “First in Math” national competition.

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