Studies have shown that over the summer months, students lose numerous months worth of math skills, while it also takes many weeks for them to regain these skills. Senior Alison Huffman took notice to this issue and created a summer program that helps younger students retain math skills and improve their soccer skills all while benefitting to a charitable cause.

Two years ago, Huffman created this program, known as “Arithmakick,” to help not only younger Southmoreland students, but the entire community with the help of her sister Ella Huffman, her cousin Hannah Schaeffer, and her friend Allie Shreffler.  

“The program helps students with math retention and summer learning loss, as well as improves their soccer skills,” said Huffman, “We meet once a week from June to the end of August to learn math and soccer, and at the end of the summer, I challenge the students to participate in a community service project: raising money for a local family by getting A’s on their math tests during the upcoming school year.  For every A they receive, I ask businesses to donate money toward a family in the local area.”

The students that participate in the program are typically in 4th or 5th grade. In her first year conducting the program, Huffman had six children participate. Then, in the following year, the number of kids participating doubled to 12.

“Because the group of kids is fairly small, I am able to work with them on an individual level and teach them first hand the skills I know have helped my game since I learned them,” said Huffman.

As far as skills in the classroom go, Huffman helps the children retain the math skills they already have and plans to teach them material they’ll learn in the future.

“One of my goals for this program is to reduce the loss of math skills by reviewing topics they learned in the previous school year and introduce them to topics they will learn in the upcoming school year,” said Huffman,  “Each week we do at least half an hour of math, and I always give them homework to complete for the following week.  If they complete their homework, I give them a ticket toward prizes that are awarded at the end of the summer.”

Huffman tries to combine soccer and math by creating games they can play on the field that relate to what she taught them that day.

“There is one game specifically that they love to play and asked to play every week of Arithmakick: Math Cup,” said Huffman. “Math Cup is a spinoff of the soccer game ‘World Cup.’ In World Cup, there are multiple teams of two going toward the same net, and each team is assigned a country name.  Before they can score, they must say their country name out loud. Math Cup works the same way, but each team is assigned a multiplication fact instead of a country name. They love it!

This year Huffman plans to work with the teachers and see if the kids involved in her program are getting better grades compared to the kids not involved.

Working with the kids is what motivates Huffman to continue the program every year.

“I absolutely love the kids that I meet through this program. They are some of the sweetest kids you’ll meet, and they’re also the most eager to learn,” said Huffman.

The kids also love the program; any time they see Huffman at the Scottdale Soccer Club on Saturdays, they say ‘hi’ and make it a point to tell her how many A’s they have in school.

Working with these kids is one of Huffman’s “favorite things to do.”

“It elates me every time they say hi to me and tell me how many A’s they’ve been getting,” said Huffman, “It shows that they truly care and like being a part of this, and that means a lot to me.”