Two grade school pupils, Ivan Gabriel O. Asuncion and Andre Craig R. Adan from Binalonan on May 6 were awarded certificates of recognition and medals during the 2018 International Mathematics Wizard Challenge in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ivan Gabriel, a Grade I pupil of Merryland, Urdaneta who is from Brgy. Poblacion of Binalonan, bested other contestants from other countries and awarded a silver medal in the individual category.
He started training when he qualified for the Mathematics Trainers Guild of the Philippines. On February 2018 he passed another examination which qualified him for a 4-day in-house training in Manila on April 2-5. After his training, he was chosen international qualifier.
He also competed in MTAP-Metrobank Math Competition where he was the Top Scorer in the regional competition held in La Union.
Ivan is the son of Dr. Ma. Isabel Asuncion, medical officer of the Quezon City Health Department and the grandson of the former Binalonan Mayor Atty. Isaiah Asuncion Jr .
Meanwhile, Andre Craig was also declared silver medalist in his category.
Andre, a Grade V pupil of Montessori, Urdaneta is from Brgy. Bued. Since 8 years old he was a consistent delegate of the Philippines in various international math competitions in Singapore, Thailand and China.
Andre was in Grade 2 when he was declared wizard awardee in Singapore, in Grade 3, he was a bronze awardee in Thailand. In China when he was in Grade 4, he won 1 gold, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes
Andre’s parents are both medical doctors-Dr. Craig Liam Adan and Dr. Regina Repollo Adan. He is the grandson of former barangay captain of Bued, Captain Ignacio Repollo.
International Mathematics Wizard Challenge is geared towards uplifting the interest of students in mathematics and it aims to engage students to further their knowledge and awareness of mathematics through competition, provide opportunities to students to develop their reasoning ability, and creative thinking skills to solve challenging problems in mathematics, and promote excellence in mathematics for students to pursue math-related careers.