Ali Jenkins
On December 11th, five Homer students attended the Board of Education meeting to discuss a possible course offering for the coming school year. These students are members of the junior class who are currently taking Mr. Podsiedlik’s Calculus I class. The students and their parents wished to discuss the availability of Calculus II for the next school year. This course has been offered in the past, with as few as six students, but has not been offered in the past two years due to low enrollment. The class, like Calculus I, is an AP course.
These five students represented the eight juniors who are currently taking Calculus I: N. Cinquanti, J. Davis, E. Gustafson, N. Holcomb, A. Jenkins, L. Pizzola, J. Sands, and S. Willsey. Willsey, who spoke on behalf of the group, discussed the benefits of the course, including the increased opportunities for students and the advantages of taking additional college-level classes in high school. Gustafson also spoke, focusing on the need for high standards in our schools. Following the meeting, Willsey commented, “I would really like to see Calc II taught next year at our high school. I want to have the opportunity of taking the course before going off to college. I feel as though it will prepare me for the full blown college course while giving me confidence in the subject.”
Some concerns have been raised with regard to the detriments of offering the course. These include the difficulty of the coursework and the larger class sizes that would be created for geometry students, as a result.
The students were given positive feedback after their presentation, however. The Board assured them that, if the minimum number of six students was reached, the course would be offered in the 2013-2014 school year.
