A website that we have all known and loved for years, Cool Math Games, has strengthened friendships, given people an opportunity to relax, and overall is a uniting force in our schools--whether you are a first grader or senior. Most of our school district will be devastated and outraged by the loss of Cool Math Games. From the beginning of when our schools had first handed out computers, Cool Math Games quickly became a favorite, and the website was passed down and cherished between the grades until it reached our generation. Even though most of the games on the website are not necessarily math related, Cool Math Games was and still is a useful learning tool for classrooms. On several occasions, I have seen Cool Math Games being utilized for the math games it actually has, making the lesson more memorable. It even became so popular that teachers began to start using it as a subgenre of math games in school settings, especially in our elementary schools. 

If Cool Math Games remains banned, we will quickly lose an impactful, meaningful, and original part of our school culture. As mentioned before, many of the older students in the school district used Cool Math Games, there has already been an outcry, with several other petitions on this topic in our area. Keeping the website banned might actually encourage students to find alternative unsafe websites to upload games to their school computer. The only reason this would be banned is because it's "distracting learning," but why is it a problem now? There has always been control of what we can or can't do, but just taking it away just isn't the right call. Many teachers I know, and you know would advocate to keep Cool Math Games in our district. 

Some quick facts that support Cool Math Games, and gamified learning in general, from “Gamification in Education: Pros, Cons, and Practical Insights.” www.petersons.com, it says rewards, achievements, competition, etc., can boost learner motivation. For example, a year ago one of my core teachers shared a game on cool math, that you got a set of numbers that you had to add, subtract, multiply, or divide to equal a certain number, and whoever got it first would move on in a tournament. I can guarantee it really pushed my classmates and I to do our best. From https://pce.sandiego.edu/gamification-in-education/ says that a study had found "students who participated in gamified activities revisited topics more frequently and remembered material more effectively due to the interactive nature of the lessons." Using gamification strategies also allow students to learn at their own pace, it lets them spend more time on topics more difficult to them, reducing frustration, and letting them master and advance quicker through the easier ones.

‌This came out of nowhere for all of us, and if we quietly accept it, we might never see it again. The statewide personal electronic device ban being implemented in schools will only blow up the issue in our high schools. Now is the time to bring it up and push it forward to the administration, making our stance clear on the situation. We would like for the removal of the website on our school computers to be reconsidered in front of a fair committee that will hear all viewpoints and arguments carefully. Students of Park Hill School District, if you find yourself missing what was once available in our school district, please sign this petition to show your support, and the other ones similar to this. Teachers, don't be afraid to rise up. When has Cool Math Games actually hindered other's learning, besides just being on an off-task website? If you don't want this important part of our school culture to disappear, sign this, rise up, and we might be able to make it happen. 

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