Barkley Elementary students compete in first March Mathness tournament

Students at Barkley Elementary turned math practice into an exciting school-wide competition during the inaugural March Mathness tournament in March.

Inspired by the energy of the basketball playoffs, prekindergarten through fourth-grade students participated in a double-elimination bracket that sharpened mental math skills while building classroom community and perseverance. Music teacher Daniel Milner and math interventionist Lori McKinnon created the event to keep learners engaged during a time when enthusiasm for drills can fade.

Every class, from prekindergarten to fourth grade, joined the challenge. The tournament opened with a lively assembly that featured a teacher exhibition match. Students cheered as their educators raced to solve equations under pressure and demonstrated how the daily contests would work.

The heart of the event was the two-minute drill, a fast-paced relay modeled after basketball free throws. Classes received grade-appropriate questions and worked together to score as many points as possible. Students stepped forward one by one to answer, then moved to the back of the line regardless of whether they succeeded, ensuring every child contributed to the team total.

The double-elimination format taught students to handle both victory and setback with grace. Even after leaving the main bracket, every class continued receiving daily question sets so they could focus on beating their own previous scores — reinforcing resilience and continuous improvement. At the conclusion, the top two teams — a prekindergarten class taught by Ms. Merling and a first-grade class taught by Ms. Odland — spent time playing games and sharing a cupcake party with the men’s and women’s basketball teams from Fort Campbell.

By the end of the month, participants showed measurable gains in computational speed and accuracy while strengthening bonds with classmates. The tournament demonstrated how combining play with strong instruction helps students thrive and supports DoWEA’s priorities of classical learning, civic character and appreciation for the military community that serves the nation.

DoWEA staff and families expressed pride in the mathletes’ hard work and sportsmanship throughout the event.