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More than 160 incoming eighth graders attended the Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy for five days of math, connection and learning from July 27 to 31. Companies such as Granite Rock, Joby Aviation and Driscoll’s host the students in their learning ventures.
The program invites students from San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties who are passionate and interested in math or other S.T.E.M.-related subjects. They receive a learning experience that aims to give them a mathematical advantage as they go into the school year.
The students are taught and mentored by teacher volunteers and high school alumni from the program, many of whom come from Hollister and Anzar high schools.
“I really liked meeting all the mentors, and a bunch of different people from other schools so I’ve built a bunch of connections already that I’m enjoying,” Aubree Park, a 13 year-old from Hollister, said.
Jenny Harris, an academy board member and niece of the late Bruce W. Woolpert, said the kids benefit a lot from the program.
“I think that a lot of the skills they learn from a week like this are not just focused on math,” she said. “It’s also students from a lot of different schools that are coming together, and so there’s a social and community component to it as well.”
Matthew Rodiguez, 13, of Hollister, was surprised at how close he was able to get to other students.
“I thought I would only be having one or two friends but it turned out a different way. I’m glad that it did,” he said.
But beyond cultivating friendships and sharpening math skills, the Algebra Academy’s larger goal is to benefit the tri-county area long-term.
“The long-term goal ultimately is to give students the confidence to tackle careers in this area because I think that there’s a lot of times we see people from this area leaving and not coming back,” Harris said.
Rose Ann Woolpert, wife of the late Bruce W. Woolpert and board member, sees the academy as a way to strengthen communities.
The program does this by bringing students out to local companies including Driscoll’s, Graniterock, Taylor Farms and Joby Aviation to show them there are businesses in the area that want the students to work for them in the future.
Woopert said, “We don’t want kids to say, ‘There’s no good jobs around here. We are leaving.’”
“It takes a special company that’s not only able to bring these kids in but is willing and interested in bringing these kids in,” she said.
She also said that the program readies the students for these jobs by helping them learn the “universal language” of math.
“Those who do learn how to speak that language have an advantage in the world of science, business, technology,” she said.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
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