ASPIRA’s Olney Charter High School Student Wins National Math and Science Competition

PHILADELPHIA - Dec. 4, 2013 - PRLog -- Vy Vu, an 11th grade student at ASPIRA’s Olney Charter High School, will represent the United States at La Magna, the international grand finale of Operación Éxito (Operation Success), an online math and science competition for high school students. Thanks to generous support from the PA Department of Education, this was Olney Charter’s first year of participation in Éxito. On November 15, 2013 the Philadelphia high school won the national crown as Vy Vu ranked first in the contest's U.S. final.

Thirty four Olney Charter students competed in the preliminary online competition for the chance to travel and compete in the national Éxito competition held on November 15th in New York.  ASPIRA’s Olney Charter High School had eight students qualify and compete in the national contest:  Zhao Lin, Patrick Acheampong, Vy Vu, Xavier Claudio, Kevin Chan, Zoralis Ortiz, Tiffany Vega, and Fanny Kusi.  Olney Charter students Lin, Acheampong, and Vu held the top 3 positions in the country heading into the U.S. final.

Vy Vu, a Vietnamese student and English Language Learner, competed with 18 students from around the country for the chance to represent the United States at La Magna, the international Éxito final. Vy Vu was in third place heading into the national final.  After almost 2 hours of fierce math and science battle, the competition came down to a tie-breaker match between Vy Vu and a student from New York.  Vy Vu beat out her last competitor to become the 2013 National Operación Éxito Champion.

Currently 10 countries participate in the Éxito competition and each country will have a student representing them in La Magna, held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center on December 18, 2013. Vy Vu will represent the United States, competing with student representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Panama and Spain, for the grand prize scholarship valued at $100,000.

Operación Éxito was created to improve the quality of Puerto Rico’s public education system by utilizing technology and motivational strategies to promote skill development and curiosity toward science and mathematics. Éxito has proven to advance youth academic proficiency, reduce drop-out rates, and increase access to post-secondary learning within Latino and other vulnerable populations worldwide.  ASPIRA’s Olney Charter High School is proudly the first school in the state of PA to participate in Operación Éxito.

In less than three years of new school management, Olney Charter has been transformed from two failing district schools into an ASPIRA charter school that will represent the United States in an international math and science competition. This drastic improvement speaks volumes about the successful turnaround efforts of ASPIRA, Inc. of Pennsylvania.  Vy Vu is sure to represent the United States well and we sincerely congratulate her on her success and wish her all the best in Puerto Rico.

About ASPIRA, Inc. of Pennsylvania

ASPIRA, Inc. of Pennsylvania is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that seeks to empower the North Philadelphia community through advocacy, and the education and leadership development of its youth. In addition to its vast array of extended learning programs, ASPIRA of PA also manages five charter schools and a preschool. Please visit http://aspirapa.org to learn more.