Spirit of Math Schools Announces Selection of Kimberly Langen as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2014 Ontario award finalist

Founder and CEO of Canada's elite math enrichment provider selected as one of the country's leading entrepreneurs by the prestigious EY awards program

TORONTO, July 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Spirit of Math Schools, an elite program helping high performing students achieve extraordinary results in mathematics, proudly announced today that Kim Langen has been selected as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2014 award finalist in Ontario. Kim Langen is the CEO and Founder of Spirit of Math Schools, Inc.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards are a prestigious celebration of the contribution and spirit of entrepreneurs everywhere. The Canadian program, in its 21st year of honouring the country's most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business, chooses finalists based on their vision, leadership, financial success and social responsibility. Kim Langen has been included in this carefully selected group in recognition of her visionary approach to promoting mathematics education excellence, acting as a champion for students; as well as her work guiding Spirit of Math Schools to be the global standard in mathematics education. 

This honour is celebrated by Spirit of Math Schools as an important proof point of Kim's visionary leadership, the company's impact on the education success of all students, teachers and education organizations it works with, and another milestone in the company's evolution. Spirit of Math Schools is one of Canada's fastest growing companies, and has seen its revenue increase by 154 per cent in the past five years. This achievement is particularly significant as the company spends less than 5 per cent of total sales on marketing, which points to the fact that this phenomenal growth is driven organically by parental referrals, due to the success of thousands of students over 25 years.   

"I am truly honoured by this recognition, and thrilled on behalf of the entire Spirit of Math Schools staff," says Kim Langen, Founder and CEO of Spirit of Math. "My lifelong passion for education is rooted in a desire to release the genius in others. It is truly rewarding today to see the difference Spirit of Math Schools makes in the lives of exceptionally bright students each day. It is equally exciting to see the remarkable growth of our company, which is achieving a level of success we could only dream of during our humble beginnings as an evening programme with 250 students. This could not have happened without all the terrific people who work with Spirit of Math and the support of the parents. Today, our vision is to be the global standard of mathematics education, through the combination of student classes, teacher and school administrator training, and our thriving publishing division. "   

Spirit of Math Schools launched in 1992 to address the critical needs of high performing students and to quench a deep thirst for a cooperative learning environment where a challenge in mathematics is fun. At Spirit of Math Schools, students are engaged in math education through a proprietary innovative approach which includes a sequential, non-spiral approach to learning, using their Four Elements (drills, core, problem solving and cooperative group work). Offering classes from September to June each year, Spirit of Math Schools prides itself on offering students much more than standard enrichment classes can offer. This includes a comprehensive curriculum that goes deeper than typical textbook questions, the advantage of a class environment where students can be with others who think like them, and the commitment to cover as much content, if not more, in 1.5 hours as is covered in a whole week of day school.

Spirit of Math Schools has propelled thousands of high performing students to achieve extraordinary results in mathematics. Spirit of Math students routinely dominate national mathematics championships and earn scholarships to top-tier universities such as MIT and Harvard. More than 4,200 students from 1st through 11th grade currently study at 36 Spirit of Math Schools campuses located in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and New Jersey.

In the next three years in Canada, Spirit of Math plans to grow in the Prairie provinces and west coast of Canada, while continuing to add campuses in southeastern Ontario. In the next 1.5 years, an additional 10 locations will be opened, including five in the U.S. The organization is also leading excellence in teacher resource development, offering innovative books and a training process that is cost- and time-efficient to mathematics teachers. Currently contracted by the Winnipeg school division to train approximately 350 teachers over the next three years, Spirit of Math plans to expand training in Canada, as well as testing this model for use in India and Africa within three years. Spirit of Math Schools is also currently in discussion with a large publishing company in the U.S. to bring its books into the mainstream market, with the goal of quadrupling sales in the next three years.

Spirit of Math is the new paradigm in mathematics education.

About Spirit of Math Schools Inc.

Spirit of Math Schools is Canada's largest after-school enrichment program exclusively for high performing students in grades 1 to 11. It is not a tutoring program, but a program developed to challenge students with an 80% or higher average. Students attend a 1½-hour class each week taught by university-educated, professional teachers throughout the school year. For more than 25 years, Spirit of Math students and alumni have been achieving outstanding results. They consistently dominate the national mathematics honor rolls of Canada and have earned scholarships to the top Universities including Harvard, MIT, Oxford and Waterloo. Spirit of Math has 35 campuses across Canada and a successful pilot location in New Jersey, USA. Visit spiritofmath.com.

SOURCE: Spirit of Math Schools Inc.

News Contact: Monika Rola, Argyle Communications for Spirit of Math Schools Inc., [phone] ext. 240, [email protected]