Students Cheer As 1,426 Cereal Boxes Tumble Sequentially

350 students watched 1,426 cereal boxes fall like dominos in the Greenacres Learning Commons on Thursday May 8, 2025.

The 1,426 boxes were collected by Greenacres kids and assembled in an enormous maze early Thursday morning, by teachers and staff who arrived as early as 6:45 am to set up the display. They centered the maze on a large pyramid of cereal boxes.

Kristen Mateja knocked down the first box, setting the sequence in motion.The entire school assembled to line the walls of the room and to watch the boxes topple sequentially at 9 am. After a countdown, the toppling began while students cheered. It went according to plan as everyone watched in awe.

The cereal will be donated to the Kol Ami Food Pantry. Parent volunteers worked with fourth and fifth graders to load the boxes into cars for delivery to the synagogue.

This was just one event in a celebration of Math Week from May 5th to 9th, highlighting the school-wide commitment to fostering a vibrant math community. Teachers participated in a professional development course through the Scarsdale Teachers Institute, focused on "Building a Math Community at Greenacres" led by Shoshana Cooper, fourth-grade teacher and Sharon De Lorenzo, Assistant Principal. The week kicked off with an all-school assembly where students shared the many ways their families use math in everyday life. Throughout the week, students engaged in a variety of math activities, including solving problems displayed around the building, making predictions at the Estimation Station, and tackling a daily math riddle.

The week will culminate in a school-wide Math Day on Friday, where each grade level takes part in a series of fun and challenging math activities.

Math Week is a favorite among students and staff and serves as a meaningful way to combine math, collaboration, and community service.

Students tracked the collection of boxes on a large thermometer.

Assistant Principal Sharon DeLorenzo led the event.