Wedgwood Elementary School Fifth-Grader Brady Piperata Wins Second 24 Game Championship in a Row

For Immediate Release
June 6, 2024

Brady Piperata accepts the LEGO Trophy from Wedgwood math teacher Domenick Renzi.

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – History was made in the Wedgwood Elementary School 24 Game Championship Tournament held on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Fifth-grader Brady Piperata outlasted 15 fellow fourth- and fifth-graders to become the second back-to-back champion in the 11-year history of the tournament at Wedgwood School.

Piperata, a student in Mrs. Dana Swider’s class, provided lightning-quick solutions to win the 24 Game Championship by a score of 13-5, defeating Kyra Long, a fourth-grader in Mrs. Kristin Haines’ class.  Kali Jones, a fourth-grader in Ms. Lauren Wills’ class, came in third place with 3 points. Hannah Chen, a fifth-grader in Mr. Rob Dobzanski’s class, rounded out the finalists competing in the championship round.

 
Piperata received a LEGO trophy and the 24 Game gold medal for his efforts. Long received the second-place silver medal. Both students proudly wore their medals for all to admire. Each of 18 classroom representatives received certificates for their math excellence.

The 24 Game is a card game in which the object is to manipulate four integers so that the end result is 24. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and/or division may be used to make the four digits equal 24. Wedgwood fourth- and fifth-graders have been practicing the 24 Game for several months. Each classroom recently held its own competition, with the top two finishers from each room advancing to Monday’s championship tournament. The semifinals, featuring 16 Wedgwood students, were held earlier in the day.

Classroom representatives from each of the fourth- and fifth-grade homerooms included: Cameron Downs and Kyra Long (Mrs. Haines); Logan Manning and Raiden Yearicks (Mrs. Mills); Kali Jones and Kieran Meehan (Ms. Wills); Kenneth Jones and Dimitri Jordan (Mrs. Tierce); Jackson Thomas-Reed and Audrey Nalbandian (Ms. Thies); Hannah Chen and Dylan Kane (Mr. Dobzanski); Brayden Holzerman and Ryan Jagielski (Mrs. McGough); Brady Piperata and Timothy Kopicko (Mrs. Swider).

Brady Piperata (right) outlasted fourth-grader Kyra Long to win the title.

The final four included (left to right) Kyra Long, Brady Piperata, Kali Jones, and Hannah Chen.

The 16 semifinalists gather for a group photo.

Brady Piperata (second from left) answers a card during an earlier round of the tournament.

- WTPS -