Lawrence Third-Grader Finalist in National Art Contest

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by Lawrence Township Public Schools.

Abigail Crutchley, a third-grade student from Slackwood Elementary School in Lawrence Township, has been selected as a finalist in a national art contest from McGraw-Hill Education.

Abby is one of 72 finalists selected from over 2,400 entries that demonstrate what math means to the young artist through sculpture, drawing, painting and photography. McGraw-Hill Education’s “This is My Math” student art contest engaged students in grades K-5 in the real-world use of math outside of the classroom.

Beginning Nov. 15, and lasting a period of two weeks (until Nov. 25), the Lawrence Township community can visit www.mheonline.com to vote for Abby’s entry. During this time, the finalists will also be reviewed by a panel of celebrity judges including artists, educators and journalists. The combined scores of the judges and general public will determine the 12 winners.

Abby said, “I got butterflies in my stomach when I found out I was a finalist, but I just did it because I love math!”

 “With this contest, we wanted to engage students, parents and the community in a conversation about the importance of math in our everyday lives,” said Lisa O’Masta, vice president, McGraw-Hill School Education. “This contest is a way for the Lawrenceville community to learn about the work that goes on in their schools, and it provides a forum for local communities to demonstrate support and drive funding opportunities for their school.”

Slackwood teachers George Regan and Jill Lee-You worked with 15 third-grade students to create an original piece of artwork and a written essay on the topic "What Math Means to Me." Entries were submitted online in a digital image format and the first round of judging by a panel of experts selected Abby's work to be one of 72 finalists.

The 12 winners will be announced on Dec. 5. The winning students will have their artwork featured prominently on the print and digital components of McGraw-Hill’s newest elementary math program, My Math, and artwork from the 72 finalists will also be displayed. In addition, the winning selections will be displayed at the new Museum of Mathematics when it opens next year in New York City.

Teachers and classmates of the winning students will receive nearly $15,000 in fun and functional classroom prizes through the generous support of contest sponsors including Promethean, netTrekker, Psychological Software Solutions, Intel, Texas Instruments, eInstruction, VWR Education/Science Kit, The Math Forum @ Drexel and Crayola.