Three Holy Cross students take a short ride to Georgetown Prep every school day to attend Math class. Seniors Hugh Zhang, Euthymia “Emmie” Stratakis and Lei Wang all completed Advanced Placement BC Calculus last year and are now enrolled in Multivariable Calculus at Prep.
Last year, as students enrolled in Advanced Placement BC Calculus, they expressed interest in continuing their mathematics education and discussed with Assistant Principal Rodney Larsen the possibility of finding a school-based learning environment for the course. “It was a student-driven request,” he says. With the approval of Principal Melissa Huey-Burns and President Katy Prebble, Mr. Larsen collaborated with the administration at Georgetown Prep to enable the opportunity. It may seem simple, but there were complications such as two different class schedules. The end result was a schedule that would allow the three Holy Cross students to attend the daily class without affecting their other classes.
Hugh, Emmie and Lei believe that the concepts in the course will help them as they pursue college and careers. Emmie is interested in pursuing something in the bio-engineering field or perhaps medicine. Lei hopes to study applied mathematics and economics. Hugh is interested in philosophy and believes that the abstract concepts contain principles that can be aptly applied to philosophy.
The opportunity to study in a different environment also allows the students to utilize organizing and communicating skills as these students have the added responsibility of keeping track of the different schedules and communicating with their teachers when conflicts arise. But the students believe it is worth it.