On Aug. 4., 75 high-performing students from 14 local schools and four school districts completed a week of intense algebra instruction at the annual Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy held in Watsonville at the Graniterock corporate office and Driscoll’s Strawberry Associates’ Cassin Ranch. This is the program’s 14th year and the first in-person classes offered since 2019.
The program gives highly motivated students who are entering the eighth grade a strong head start to their school year, according to Academy Executive Director Christy Sessions.
“When everyone else is still sleeping in,” she said, “these students are getting their brains kicked into gear, and they’re starting math. Their teachers will notice they’re ready to hit the ground running when the school year starts.”
Woolpert, president and CEO of Graniterock from 1987 until his death in 2012, held the first session of the academy in 2010 at Rolling Hills Middle School in Watsonville.
“Bruce really believed that algebra was the key to advancing in math for future years and across subjects,” Sessions said. “He chose to focus on algebra and thought that the eighth grade is a very pivotal year in terms of becoming engaged and realizing that they can excel and do great things.”
The program is open to students from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Hollister School District, Aromas-San Juan Unified School District and Southside School in Tres Pinos. Participants are chosen by faculty at their schools, and classes are taught by high school and college-level instructors with help from peer mentors. The free program includes round-trip bus transportation, all supplies and meals.
Attendee Diana Martinez, 13, said she had a lot of free time in the summer, and the classes were a perfect match for her interests.
“I really like math,” she said. “But I wanted to learn more about algebra because I was really confused. There are a lot of unknown numbers, and there is a lot of mystery to it. I am learning that, even though there are variables, there are still easy ways to solve problems.”
After pre-assessments on July 31, the class days were broken into immersive instructional sessions, a mentor panel and game time.
“We are educating them by challenging them in their math academics as well as making it fun so that they enjoy math,” said Graniterock Director of Communications Shanna Crigger. “We want them to see math as something that’s fun and enjoyable rather than daunting and intimidating.”
On Aug. 2, the students took a field trip to the CSU Monterey Bay campus in hopes of inspiring them to attend college and make math a part of their studies. Academy students who go on to attend CSUMB as math majors are eligible to be considered for a scholarship through the Bruce Woolpert Math Award.
High school students who have attended the academy, such as 17-year-old Samantha Milenewicz, are also invited back to act as paid peer mentors. Milenewicz, who attends Hollister High School, said that the academy gave her insight into what she could expect from her eighth-grade math studies.
“It got me one step ahead of everyone,” she said. “It was a chance to gain a little extra education after not being in school for a few months. And there was a lot of math stuff that I had never seen before I came here.”
Crigger said that Graniterock considers the program a great success, having attracted over 1,100 middle-school students over the years.
“Math can be a little bit intimidating for kids,” she said, “but giving them a week that’s exclusively math is helping to build their confidence. They are all really excited about having this chance to learn, and we are just as excited to have the kids back here.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service, nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.