Francestown Elementary School has partnered with the PTO to bring an after-school enrichment program to students, the Crazy 8's Math Club.

Every Monday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., students gather to participate in various math activities. Students are broken into two groups, one for first-and second-graders and the other for third- and fourth-graders. The groups are led by parents Laura Mafera and Britt Kennedy, who are supported by FES teachers.

During their sessions, students interact with one another and practice their math skills through games, experiments, and activities such as "Ninjas on the Run," "The Super Cube Shuffle," "Toilet Paper Olympics," "Pirate Treasure Hunt" and "Stuffed Animal Swing."

In week one, students in third and fourth grade explored repeating patterns. They built light-up airplanes and an airport out of glow sticks, and figured out the best way to land their planes without crashing using numerical patterns. Students experimented with odds and evens and common factors to prevent airplanes from being at the same spot on the runway at the same time.

On Jan. 15, students in first and second grade worked on their ninja skills by navigating through a laser maze. They made sure to find the right shapes and patterns to avoid getting caught and even learned a secret handshake.

"This after-school program is not your typical math club. It is a new way to explore and grow our students’ understanding of math in a completely different way," stated Principal Rachel Lunan-Hill. "Francestown Elementary works hard to partner with the community to provide new and interesting learning opportunities, and we thank our PTO for helping to bring this program to our students!"

The Crazy 8's Math Club will run until March.