Pictured left to right, Polly Holyoke, children's Author and Young Writers Award competition judge, Carl Hu.

Alvis C. Story Elementary in Allen is about to get a lot more books in their library, thanks to the creative writing ability of Carl Hu. The 10-year-old has won Explore Horizon’s 2017 Young Writers’ Awards competition and in addition to receiving a Kindle Fire HD, his school will receive $500 worth of books from Explore Horizons, the UK-based chain of enrichment and tutoring centers that has DFW locations in Colleyville, Garland, Plano, Fort Worth and Frisco.

Competing against other North Texas students 14 years-old and younger, Hu had to create a memorable story on the theme of “The Future” to take the top prize. Runners-up in this year’s competition are Julie Kluthe from Lewisville ISD and Morgon Connor from Frisco ISD.

“We received a great response to our contest from students across DFW and we are so proud of all these students who put their creativity to the test,” said Liz Wilson, head of curriculum at Explore Horizons. “All the winners did a fantastic job taking our celebrity judge on a journey through different worlds.”

Award-winning Bluebonnet author Polly Holyoke, the author of The Neptune Project, was this year’s celebrity judge. 

“It's truly been a pleasure for me to serve as the judge for Explore Horizon's 2017 Young Writers’ Award contest,” said Holyoke. “I was so impressed by the variety, creativity and talent I saw in the entries I read on the topic of The Future. I believe educators, writers and parents all need to do what we can to make writing more cool for kids, and contests like this one is an effective way to accomplish that goal.”

The Young Writers’ Awards is an annual competition hosted by Explore Horizons and is open to all North Texas students 14 years-old and younger. The program challenges students to create an original story of up to 500 words using a selected theme. More information on the Explore Horizons Young Writers’ Awards is available at https://www.explore-horizons.com/schools/

Explore Horizons provides enrichment and tutoring in math, reading and writing, for children of all abilities in Pre-K through 8th grade. Children become members and attend an Explore Horizons center up to twice a week on a drop-in basis. At Explore Horizons, our tutors get to know each child as an individual. Whether they are finding school challenging or are at the top of the class, Explore Horizons tutoring centers are here to help children shine tomorrow by becoming fearless learners today. For more information visit www.explore-horizons.com.

After two-months of working together to solve high-level math problems, the advanced students from West Birdville Elementary in the Birdville district participated in the grand finals of the 3rd annual Explore Horizons Young Mathematicians’ Award last week at the Explore Horizons Tutoring and Enrichment Center in Colleyville.

Jennifer Avila, Raul Guerra, Michael Arana, and Christian Esquivel from West Birdville Elementary competed against teams from Lakewood Elementary, Richardson Classical Academy, Harrison Lane Elementary, and Bedford Heights Elementary in the final challenge. A total of 16 schools representing four school districts as well as area private schools competed in the math competitions held throughout North Texas over the past two months.

The competition encourages students to collaborate using advanced problem solving abilities to answer applied math problems. Each problem is designed to help build the skills necessary to apply mathematical concepts to real world problems in students looking to pursue a future in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

“We are very proud of the students at West Birdville Elementary and congratulate them on their success,” said Belinda Southgate, Head of U.S. Marketing for Explore Horizons. “It is inspiring to see the motivation and genuine enthusiasm of each team as they work together through each step of the high-level problem. All teams demonstrated fantastic perseverance, critical-thinking and dedication and they should all be incredibly proud of themselves!”

Pictured Left to Right: Michael Arana, Jennifer Avila, Raul Guerra and Christian Esquivel

After two-months of working together to solve high-level math problems, the advanced students from Harrison Lane Elementary in the Hurst Euless Bedford district participated in the grand finals of the 3rd annual Explore Horizons Young Mathematicians’ Award last week at the Explore Horizons Tutoring and Enrichment Center in Colleyville.

Colton Panther, Genesis Mitchell-Brown, Tanner Ewing and Lukas Morris from Harrison Lane Elementary competed against teams from Lakewood Elementary, West Birdville Elementary, Richardson Classical Academy, and Bedford Heights Elementary in the final challenge. A total of 16 schools representing four school districts as well as area private schools competed in the math competitions held throughout North Texas over the past two months.

The competition encourages students to collaborate using advanced problem solving abilities to answer applied math problems. Each problem is designed to help build the skills necessary to apply mathematical concepts to real world problems in students looking to pursue a future in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.

“We are very proud of the students at Harrison Lane Elementary and congratulate them on their success,” said Belinda Southgate, Head of U.S. Marketing for Explore Horizons. “It is inspiring to see the motivation and genuine enthusiasm of each team as they work together through each step of the high-level problem. All teams demonstrated fantastic perseverance, critical-thinking and dedication and they should all be incredibly proud of themselves!”

From Left to Right: Genesis Mitchell-Brown, Lukas Morris, Tanner Ewing and Colton Panther

Explore Horizons is once again looking for the best math students in North Texas.

The tutoring and enrichment center with locations throughout the DFW Metroplex kicks off its annual Young Mathematicians’ Award in early October. The competition, now in its third year, is designed to stretch the most gifted young math brains in DFW and identify the math stars of tomorrow.

In October, participating schools from around the Metroplex will select four top mathematicians from grades 4-6 to compete in a regional competition that will take place in mid-November. The winning team from each region will then advance to the finals in early December.

“Math, whether we love it or hate it, is a fundamental part of everyday life,” said Belinda Southgate, Head of U.S. Marketing for Explore Horizons. “It’s a global language and underpins many essential life skills. At Explore Horizons our aim is to make math fun and encourage gifted and talented young students to learn vital problem solving skills to use in high school, college and even future careers in STEM fields.”

Educators interested in the Young Mathematicians' Awards and the free math workshops provided for local schools can contact their nearest Explore Horizons center for more information. Additionally, parents can contact their nearest Explore Horizons center to inquire about signing their child up for a free Enhanced Math course, which practices the skills that are tested in the Young Mathematicians' Awards.

For more information visit www.explore-horizons.com