Math can be fun – even during summer – according to students, college professors and Graniterock employees participating in the fifth annual Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy.
The summer algebra camp for accelerated pupils ran Aug. 7 to Aug. 13 at the Graniterock headquarters in Watsonville and worked to make math something students, including ones from San Benito County, continue to think about as they prepare for the working world.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to give these high-achieving students a chance to really excel and develop a love for math,” said Kevin Jeffery, the vice president and general counsel of Graniterock and one of the algebra academy coordinators.
At least 100 high achieving math students participated in the program named in memory of former Graniterock President Bruce Woolpert. The pupils came from seven schools, including San Juan Elementary School, Aromas School, Tres Pinos Elementary School and Rancho San Justo Middle School.
Principals and seventh-grade teachers nominated their highest-achieving pupils for the program, but the students also had to secure top marks on an entrance exam in order to be selected.
The week-long summer session has two classrooms, each with two college professors and four teacher assistants who take students through a variety of mind-bending math exercises. This year, one classroom was run by California State University, Monterey Bay staff and the second was run by University of California, Santa Cruz faculty.
During the program, students honed their algebra skills, but they also learned real-life applications for math as Graniterock employees – including a mining engineer, an environmental scientist and a rock and asphalt salesmen – spoke with students about how they use numbers on the job.
The academy held its graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. Aug. 14 in the auditorium of the Edward A. Hall Middle School in Watsonville. As the evening progressed, Jeffery shared the story of a conversation he’d overheard as the students came back from a field trip to CSU Monterey Bay at the close of the program.
“I just happened to overhear one student walk up to four of her friends and say, ‘You know, I’m so sad this algebra academy is over,’” Jeffery said. “That is pretty heartwarming for us to hear.”
The crusade to help high-achieving math students keep playing with equations will continue through the school year with math clubs. Most of the programs will be run at least once a week during lunch time with middle school teachers serving as club advisors and college students preparing to be teachers serving as mentors.
“One of the great things about the program is they get to meet other students from the area that think math’s a lot of fun too,” Jeffery said. “They had a good time.”
