CONWAY — Jillian Bradshaw of Conway said she was “very shocked” to win the Simon Prize for Excellence in Mathematics for Girls as a seventh-grader this year.
“It’s very exciting, and I’m very thankful to the Simons for thinking I could do this,” the 13-year-old said.
Phyllis and Ray Simon of Conway started the award program with an endowment in 2015 to give back to the district. Phyllis retired in 2005 as the first director of technology; Simon left in 1997 as the district’s superintendent to serve as director of the Arkansas Department of Education and later was U.S. deputy secretary of education under President George W. Bush.
“This was her idea, totally, and obviously, I support it,” Ray Simon said of the prize program.
The Simons have a committee of judges to help choose winners at the school named for them — Raymond and Phyllis Simon Middle School. They presented the awards May 20 at a school assembly.
Students apply online, a process that is “very rigorous,”
Phyllis Simon said. “It requires specific procedures to be followed. The questions on the application require careful thought, and the answers must be written well.”
The six Simon Prize winners receive a cash award — $300 for the seventh-grade winner; $100 for two sixth-grade winners; and $50 for three fifth-grade winners. The students also receive monetary support to attend an enrichment activity, such as a summer camp or a summer class; and they will receive support through the ninth grade, which may
include guidance in course selection, enrichment activities and encouragement.
In addition, recognition awards with cash prizes are given to students in each grade based on the quality of their applications.
Phyllis Simon said they have received 131 applications from 98 girls since 2015, with some students applying more than once.
Fifth-grade Simon Prize winners were Toby Tinsley, Martha Grace Winningham and Magnolia Smyers. Recognition winners were Kate Welky, Halie Gates and Caroline Chrysler.
Sixth-grade Simon Prize winners were Maggie Eller and Rhealea Booth. Recognition winners were Cora Jones, Olivia Ferdowsian and Eva Navarro.
In addition to Jillian winning the seventh-grade prize, recognition winners were Isabelle D’Agostino, Abigail Gifford and Kiely Thomas.
Jillian, who also won a Simon Prize in sixth grade, said she will attend a Museum of Discovery program this summer, paid for by the Simons’ endowment.
The Simons, who grew up in Conway and attended St. Joseph Catholic School, both started as math teachers in North Little Rock. Ray Simon said something he and Phyllis learned from teaching was, “It’s not a one-day deal.”
“You don’t see the results of your work sometimes till years later. … We may not produce a Nobel Prize winner now, but that’s possibly going to yield fruit in the future,” he said.
More information about the Prize is available at si.conwayschools.org or by emailing SimonPrize@conwayschools.net.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.