It has been one of the strongest years in competitive mathematics in recent CFSD history. Across three schools, our students earned a state championship, multiple national qualifications, and a string of top finishes against some of the strongest math teams in Arizona.

Manzanita Elementary: Arizona State Champions
Manzanita Elementary is the Arizona State Champion in Math League Division 5, the division for schools where the highest grade level is fifth. Coached by parent volunteer Laura Surdeanu, the team includes Nachiket Nadig, Rooz Caire, Owen Chu, Cyrus Caire, Brockett Stutz, Elizabeth Sipe, Leo Skirko, Marc Surdeanu, Christian Yu, Adam Elitzer, and Graeme Decker.(pictured above).
Seven Manzanita students qualified for the National Math League competition this June in College Station, Texas: third graders Rooz Caire and Brockett Stutz; fourth graders Christian Yu and Owen Chu; and fifth graders Cyrus Caire, Marc Surdeanu, and Nachiket Nadig.
Several Manzanita students also brought home standout individual honors. Rooz Caire placed first in Arizona in Math League and is the Arizona State Champion for third grade. Marc Surdeanu placed first in Arizona in the national PiMC competition with a perfect score. Cyrus Caire won the district-level MOEMS mathematics competition. Marc, Cyrus, and Rooz all qualified for the PiMC finals in San Francisco this June.
Sunrise Drive Elementary: Third in the State
Sunrise Drive Elementary, also coached by Laura Surdeanu, earned third place in the Math League State competition, Division 5. Two Sunrise Drive students earned national qualifications: Alan Liu won the MOEMS mathematics competition at the school level and qualified for the PiMC finals in San Francisco, and Aiden Liu qualified for the National Math League competition in College Station.

Orange Grove Middle School: Third in Math League, Seventh in MathCounts
Orange Grove Middle School, coached by parent Ning Hao, had an impressive competitive season. The MathCounts team, Daniel Li, Max Hao, Esther Yu, and Melody Yu (pictured below) placed second in the Southern Arizona Chapter competition and seventh at the MathCounts State competition. The Math League team, Melody Yu, Max Hao, and Sidhaant Chaudhary (pictured above), earned third place in the Math League State competition, Division 6.
Two Orange Grove students will be heading to nationals. Melody Yu earned second place and Max Hao earned fourth place at the state level, with both qualifying for the National Math League competition in College Station.
A Year of Dedication
A season like this does not happen by accident. It reflects months of practice problems, weekly meetings, weekend competitions, and a community of coaches, families, and teammates who keep showing up for one another.
A special thank-you to coaches Laura Surdeanu and Ning Hao, whose time and expertise made this season possible. Congratulations to every student named here, and to every teammate who put in the work alongside them. We could not be prouder.