This article was written by BenitoLink intern Ariana Rivera. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
As summer break came to an end, some students got a head start on the upcoming semester’s coursework by participating in the Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy, a week-long math camp in Watsonville.
Although Woolpert passed away in 2012, his academy lives on. It’s expanded to serving 17 schools from three counties, including 130 students going into eighth grade. This year’s camp ran from July 28 to Aug. 1.
San Benito County students from the Accelerated Achievement Academy, Calaveras School, Hollister Dual Language Academy, Marguerite Maze Middle School, Rancho San Justo Middle School, Aromas School, and San Juan School participated.
Longtime academy supporters Graniterock, Driscoll’s, Joby Aviation and Monterey Bay Drone Automation and Robotics Technology (DART) were joined this year by a new partner, Taylor Farms.
Woolpert’s wife and Algebra Academy board member Rose Ann Woolpert said her husband believed that so many of life’s problems could be solved with mathematics. She said she hopes that when students attend the academy, they leave with the same love for math he had.
The academy allows students to learn the basics of algebra in a business setting and introduces them to various local career pathways.
The students “get to meet entomologists and finance people,” Woolpert said, “At Graniterock, they meet mining engineers and environmental scientists.”
Although the students are still in elementary and middle school, the Algebra Academy introduces them to higher education with a field trip to CSU Monterey Bay.
“It was a really fun trip, we got to see stuff like their engineering, which I thought was really cool,” said Rancho San Justo student Emily Bell.
As a summer activity, Bell’s mom gave her an algebra textbook which the eighth grader had been trying to work with.
“I couldn’t figure out how to really use this stuff,” Bell said. “When I came here, I got more of a grip on the material. I’m definitely going to be more ahead.”
Algebra Academy Executive Director Christy Sessions said she hopes the academy shows kids that it’s okay to be smart and good at math.
“You get to have experiences that you wouldn’t get to have otherwise, so be who you are,” Sessions said.
Algebra Academy alumni have the opportunity to return as high school juniors and seniors to act as mentors to younger students.
“I want to be like them and be as good as them,” Hollister Dual Language Academy student Paul Rodriguez said, adding that he feels what he’s learned will help him a lot when he returns to school.
“I learned some new stuff and I’m understanding more,” he said.
Woolpert said the program targets students who are already high achievers at their school, with the hope that they can go back and share what they’ve learned.
The academy is by invitation only. More details about the program are available on its website.
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