Winning by the Numbers

by Susan Shalhoub 

In Seminole County, two elementary school students recently achieved impressive rankings in an international math contest in Bali, Indonesia. Their success can be attributed to two things: hard work and an innate love of numbers.

One student, Nico Kupietz of Geneva, traveled to Bali to compete in the mathleague.org contest in person. The other, Wesley Gallucci-Tsai of Oviedo, competed virtually.

Nico, a fourth grader at Choices in Learning in Winter Springs, placed fourth in his division. His family accompanied him to Bali, turning the competition into an epic summer adventure.

“The trip is 30 hours of flight time,” says Stefan, Nico’s dad. “We are a family of six [mom Maria, twins Mya and Olivia (11); Nico (9); and Pia (8)]. The kids did better than the adults, because they slept on the flight. We went to Bali for a week, then to Tokyo, Japan, for another five days.”

In Bali, the family ziplined over rice fields and visited the Ubud Monkey Forest, temples, and the Tegenungan waterfall. Nico also had the opportunity to match names and math competition rankings with faces.

“I got to meet contestants that I’ve only seen in standings,” he says.

To advance to the international level, Nico first won a national mathleague.org contest at Texas A&M University.

 “Nico is self-motivated and self-driven,” says Stefan. “These are great accomplishments, and we are very proud of him.”

Wesley, a fifth grader at Seminole Science Charter School in Lake Mary, placed second in his mathleague.org division in Bali. He advanced to the international level after winning a state contest and earning a third-place ranking in the national competition. 

The son of David and Christy Gallucci, Wesley took the test online at the early-bird hour of 4:00 a.m. He also competed virtually in last year’s international contest, ranking first in his category.

“We always tell him, ‘You are at the beginning of your education. Focus on how much it expands your mind,’” says Christy. “His hard work is rewarding to him.”

A fan of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, Wesley has a passion for physics.

“I like math puzzles and theory,” he says.

The mathleague.org program is a network of math competitions at the elementary, middle, and high-school levels in the United States and abroad. More than 30,000 students participate annually. 

Both in person and virtually, Seminole County was well represented this year by Nico and Wesley.