EASTON, Md. — SS. Peter and Paul Elementary School has been crowned the champions of the 2026 Diocese of Wilmington Love Math Challenge after a month of student-driven math practice “that turned problem-solving into a daily routine and a schoolwide celebration,” according to the school.
Over a period of 30 days, students from participating schools across the diocese solved hundreds of thousands of math problems. The battle between SS. Peter and Paul and St. John the Beloved School was tight throughout, with SS. Peter and Paul solving 103,230 problems to 102,027 for St. John’s.
The challenge was coordinated through the First in Math game-based program. The company’s vice president of district partnerships, Kevin Sweeney, said the race was unlike any others he has seen.
“We have run Love Math Challenges for three years across thousands of schools, and this was the tightest competition we have ever witnessed,” he said in a statement. “These two schools traded first and second place 15 times.”
The schools were separated by about 300 problems on the final day, he continued, and students kept playing into the night. Some were still solving problems after 11:30 p.m., Sweeney said.
SS. Peter and Paul principal Sherrie Connolly said watching the joy and determination of her students was inspiring.
“They took pride in showing up daily, encouraging each other, and proving that math can be something they look forward to,” she said. “This challenge brought out grit, teamwork and confidence in a way that reached beyond a leaderboard.”
