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duPont Manual High SchoolJob # School10617
MICS21101R©2010 Herff Jones, Inc.,All Rights Reserved
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WORK ORDER
MAC WIN PM CS CS2 CS4 eProPro OLP
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14
In 2010, only two students were taking Discrete
Mathematics as an independent study. As word
spread around the magnet, computer science
students became interested in the course for its
introduction to mathematical proofs, which provided
a foundation for abstract computer science. It was
not something typically offered in high school.
As someone considering computer science as
a college major, Tyler Darnell (12) had already
inquired about taking the course at the University of
Louisville, but was turned away. He was happy to
learn that “Discrete” would become a more formal
course under Mr. O’Bryan in fall 2011.
“I was glad I would be able to take it in a
structured course,” he said. “It’s one of the more
challenging courses I’ve taken.” Photo by Jack
Mattingly
LEARNING TO BE DISCRETEDISCRETEDISCRETE
Tyler Darnell (12)
Academics • Math, Science, Technology 117
“I like the way that my math
classes challenge me. Even
though math isn’t my favorite
class, it offers a challenging
environment.”
Marie Bissell (11)
Ankush Gupta (12) stared at the
computer screen, eyes wide. He had
just pulled up the JCPS graduation
requirements and read the one fact
that would pose a problem for the next
several months: Kentucky required not
four credits of math, but four years.
The rule had good intentions.
“Colleges are seeing that students
are more likely to not have to take a
remedial math course if they have one
their senior year,” Ms. Marti Johnston
(Counselor) said.
But Gupta had many more than four
credits of math, as he had taken so many
math classes at Manual and the University
of Louisville that there were none left for
him to take during his senior year. That
meant that Gupta’s ability to graduate
was in question. Gupta realized this, and
then laughed in disbelief. “A rule added
to promote learning math, and that it might
result in my not graduating because I took
too many math classes, was so ironic,”
he said.
But Gupta was not the only one in
danger of running out of math classes.
Sravya Vishnubhlata (11) moved from
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Louisville
during the summer. Her previous school
district had only required 3 credits of
math, but Vishnubhlata’s classes had
been so advanced that by the time she
arrived in Louisville, the only class left
for her to take was Discrete Math--
putting her in the same position as
Gupta for the next year.
“I was kind of annoyed,” Vishnubhatla
said, “but got over it, since I can do
an online course... [but] I really hate
wasting a credit for it.” Gupta also had
to make plans to accommodate the
requirement, but as late as November,
he was still looking for a challenging
online course.
Still, the irony of not graduating
because of too many classes left no
small impression on Gupta. “Honestly,
I feel that if the state Department of
Education deemed that my taking so
many math classes meant I didn’t have
one left to take senior year warranted
that I not get my diploma,” he said, “I
wouldn’t want their diploma anyway.”
MST students find their high school graduations in jeopardy— not because they
took too few math classes, but because they took too many.
Ankush Gupta (12)
“There’s this song that Ms. Tatro teaches us to
remember the quadratic formula, and now every time
I write the formula down, I sing the song to remember
it. It’s the quadratic formula to the tune of ‘Pop Goes
the Weasel.’”
“The most interesting thing I learned in math class
was how to use my calculator in many ways. I
never knew it was so versatile.”
What the most interesting thing you’ve done in a math class?
Mathematical
“I know that in our MST pre-cal, we’ve made
some nerd jokes. Mr. Pickering has a magnet that
says,’Holy Shift, check out the Asymptote on that
Mother Function!’ If you get that humor.”
Christopher Miller (11)
Adya Jain (10)
Jacob Shpilberg (11)
Words by Emily McConville•Design by Holly Gravenkemper, Noëlle Pouzar, Rebecca Woodburn & Elizabeth Penava •Graphic by Yazmin Martinez & Noëlle PouzarMath
Freshman Year,
In the spring of 2011, Allen Jiang (9)
sat down to take a math placement
test like the rest of his MST classmates.
Unlike the others, however, Jiang was
not placed into freshman geometry.
Instead, his teachers decided that his
math skills were advanced enough to
put him in junior level pre-calculus.
Though he was placed outside his
age group, Jiang realized that the
move would be helpful in the long run.
“It’s challenging. I wouldn’t be
getting this depth of knowledge if I
were in my freshman courses. It will
prepare me for harder courses,” he
said. Photo by Franey Miller
≥
When Nolan Anderson (11) was little, he called his
older sister Emmy K. His father, however, had a different
name for her: Ethyl Methyl Keytone, an industrial solvent.
Three of the five members of Anderson’s family
worked in a science field: his brother was studying
biology, his sister was researching diabetes, and his
father worked in chemical engineering, a field Anderson
himself wanted to enter.
His preparation for the field consisted both of classes
and of conversations with his family, sometimes at the
dinner table. “With having a scientific family,” Anderson
said, ”we can talk about esoteric stuff together and still
know what we’re talking about.”
FAMILY FORMULA
Allen Jiang (9), middle, listens to Mr. Mark Pickering’s (Math) Pre-calculus lesson.
Nolan Anderson (11)
JUNIOR
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