ST Mary High School is the 2013 champion in the annual University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Education Grade 9 mathematics problem-solving competition.

Campion College was awarded second place and Manchester High School third.

Andrea Purcell, grade 9 teacher at St Mary, said the team of girls — Maria Hetey, Jenelle Hines and Kacian Barker — took home the victory she has long waited for.

“I feel ecstatic. I feel proud of my team, really proud of my team. I am happy because two years ago we were fourth and now we are in first place. It shows that we are improving and I am happy for that,” Purcell said,

The girls said they did their best and their hard work paid off.

The presentation of awards to the top three schools took place on May 21 at the School of Education.

This year, the competition, which is staged annually, included another dimension, where schools in each of the six education regions were invited to compete among themselves.

Forty-three schools entered and those with the three highest scores in each region qualified for the final round that took place on April 21 at UWI.

Professor Stafford Griffith, director of the School of Education, encouraged the students to excel in mathematics.

He said mathematics is the medium for the development of high-level thinking skills such as critical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving.