Northern Nevada Math Club, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is seeking community volunteers to help run Family Math Night activities at local elementary schools.
The first Family Math Night is scheduled for Tuesday, January 24 with another eight currently scheduled and several more expected this semester. According to NevadaTomorrow.org, only 37.1% of Washoe County School District’s fourth grade students tested as proficient in 2020-21.
“Math is becoming more and more important for tomorrow’s workforce and most kids in our area are not developing the mathematical understanding required to be successful. To fix this, we need to get kids interested in math so they want to learn and that will increase their engagement in class. We want them to solve problems using logic, see math in a broader and richer context, and appreciate its value for them personally,” explains Sherry Griffin, Executive Director at Northern Nevada Math Club (NNVMath).
Family Math Nights run two hours long and present 20 different activities, including games, logic puzzles, and art. Two volunteers are ideal for each activity stations, equaling a minimum of 40 volunteers needed for each event.
Some schools are expecting very high attendance which will require more activity stations and volunteers. Volunteers will not be tutoring or teaching math. They will explain the rules and objective of the activity to students. Most importantly, they will encourage students to see math as a fun and enjoyable experience.
More information, including how to sign up to volunteer, is available at https://NNVMath.org/volunteer/.
Questions regarding volunteering at Family Math Nights can be directed to Program Coordinator, Evan Soto-Harrison, at Evan@NNVMath.org
