As we begin to bring VAMPY to a close, let’s take a moment to look back at what our math classes have done. Each student has been given the opportunity to go through a field of math of their ability and choosing at a pace which suits them. Anything from Algebra 1 all the way through number theory has been studied. Many flourished with this opportunity, for once not being chained by the restraints of a traditional one size fits all classroom.
The math group has had many memorable talks over the last week. From Dr. Kessler presenting his talk on the Mathinator to Dr. Wells presenting a talk on topology, the students have been introduced to upper level mathematics in a way that is not scary. One of the most memorable moments being Dr. Kessler using the Mathinator to shoot a cup off of a campers head (of course with a high level of success).
Students have been extremely engaged in these talks and many have expressed the desire to look into some of these mathematics at a more in-depth level in the future. Truly these students have made the most out of VAMPY and many of the students have been encouraged to look at math more as something that is fun rather than as something that is boring.
Today being the last day, the students will be given the opportunity to take a post-test today to see how much progress they have made in their chosen field of study. It is an exciting day for them to see just how far they have come in three weeks.