December Puzzle Contest

Solve this month’s puzzle to win a custom t-shirt or a Webkinz™ toy.

It was Elizabeth’s first day at school. The teacher suggested that it would be a good idea for each child to meet every other child in the class. The teacher said, “When you meet, please shake hands and introduce yourself by name.”
If there were 13 children in the class, how many total handshakes were there?

The answer to the November puzzle:
The hare and the tortoise are together covering the distance at 13 miles per hour (i.e., on adding their speeds).
So, they will cover the distance of 91 miles in 7 hours.
Thus, in 7 hours, they will meet and the hare will have traveled 70 miles.