“You need one square, one rhombus, one rectangle,” the student said, surveying the crowd at last Monday’s Berkshire Schools school board meeting.
“You need one parallelogram, one trapezoid, one pentagon,” he went on, adding in other requirements needed to solve a math problem.
The school board members watched, their eyes raised, as they tried to figure out the problem. After a few minutes, another student explained how the problem was solved.
Several sixth-graders from Berkshire Elementary and a senior at Berkshire Junior-Senior High School showcased their math skills to the school board after their recent participation in a math club.
“We were in the Greater Cleveland Council of Teachers mathematics problem-solving tournament in Garrettsville,” said advisor Janet Duns, a district math teacher. “PTO sponsored that for us and we’re grateful for their support.”
Duns explained the program to the school board.
“Together we sat around at a round table and worked on problems we received through the MATHCOUNTS program,” she added, noting the problems were aligned with the Common Core standards for sixth, seventh and eighth grade. “After we worked on them individually, we had conversations about them.”
During Monday’s presentation, the female students shared math problems, while the boys discussed related math projects.
The teacher also said Berkshire senior Nick Millet participated in the team and offered input. Millet said he was present as an advisor as part of a senior service project.
“Some of the math problems were very hard, and I wanted to offer insight,” he said, adding his sister, Mallory, was a group member.
Duns said students were able to see how Millet solved the problem and were able to understand his thought process while solving it.
“Nick was such a wonderful role model. The children looked up to him and respected him. He was a priceless member to us this year,” she said.
One of the students Tommy Jadach, described his project, which featured a variety of shapes.
“I had to think outside of the box,” he joked.
Duns also said she was grateful for the hard work from parent member Barb Emig, who participated every week and provided project ideas for the group.
In other news, the school board approved 2014-15 school fees for Burton Elementary, the student handbook and a service agreement between Lake County Educational Service Center for Lake Academy for the 2014-15 school year.
Also, class fees and pay-to-play fees will respectively be reduced 30 and 10 percent. The board also approved the district’s continued membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the 2014-15 school year.