From their seats in the auditorium, twisted around in
anticipation, the students eagerly waited for the next installment of the
Temptations song, “My Girl”, lyrics slightly altered and sang by the melodious
vocals of Joseph Ratcliff, III (aka “Pops”) and the less melodious vocals of
Len Boehm, math instructor extraordinaire.
What happened next is still a mysterious magical moment that can barely
be described in words. To everyone’s
surprise and delight, Mr. Boehm’s neighbor, the legendary Reverend Robert Jones,
a distinguished Blues scholar and host of the WDET radio show “
“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day…
When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May…
I guess you’d say, what can make us feel this way?...
Math Corps…Talkin’ about Math Corps...”
A visiting parent, whose child attends Barbara Jordan elementary school, stood in the back of the auditorium, tears streaming down her face. When asked if she was OK, she responded with “I’ve never seen anything like this before. People just love my kid. I’m so glad I’ve found Math Corps. It’s too wonderful.”
If this picture evokes images of a final scene from a movie
about triumph, you may be surprised to know that it happened on a regular day
halfway through a rigorous six week summer mathematics camp. As a matter of fact, this is the sort of
magic that has been created and shared over the last fifteen years by the 400
While there is no substitute for seeing our kids in action, there are many noteworthy highlights from the 2008 summer camp. At Site I, running under the leadership of new directors, the high school teaching assistants and program assistants stepped up and proved that they are the true strength of the program. The success of the summer camp came directly from their dedication to the middle school students, making the kids feel like family while transmitting the Math Corps philosophy, culture and commitment to excellence. In conjunction with the successful creation of Site II in 2005, Math Corps has shown itself to be a replicable program that could successfully spread nationwide.
Infusing mathematics with fun is a key component of the Math Corps. Joke of the Week and Family Meal Day were no exception this year. College students dressed up for various roles in joke of the week, bringing new life to some, dare I say, “stale” jokes. Seemingly quiet, shy individuals surprised us with their debut performances. Tim Kakos at Site I was incredibly adept as a frog and when he produced a knick-knack, Patty Whack did give that frog a loan. At Site II, it was Joe Smith as the elderly husband innocently eating in a restaurant, when he became the target of a water incident as an oddly friendly panda bear demonstrated that he, “Eats, shoots, and leaves”. If you don’t understand, it’s because you had to be there, and did I mention that the jokes are hilariously “stale”?
On Family Meal Day, a new game requiring rhythm and coordination became quite the rage at Site II. Introduced by Mr. VanKempen (Mr. VK) and Heather Jones, the students and staff alike sat in a circle keeping the pattern of beats using a cup and their hands. As the circle grew, so did the challenge to work together.
How exciting is math to us? Unique numbers deserve special attention in a parade as student delegates from each team announce a number at the front of the auditorium. Kicking off the celebration this summer was our very own drum major, Dominque Burton. After a ho-hum introduction of integers, plain old everyday real numbers, to the sound of “Pomp and Circumstance”, he revved up the students and staff with a series of beats. Finding unique numbers became the challenge: fractions, decimals, roots, exponents, logarithms, etc. Cheering for these numbers as they were presented, students were introduced to a wide variety of real numbers.
Fridays are optional half days at Math Corps and host a different activity every week. At Site II, one memorable activity was the Talent/Fashion Show where students took turns performing on stage in front of their peers. The amount of support from the students was incredible. In Math Corps, hand signals are used to silently communicate “agreement”, “disagreement”, and most powerfully “support”. Showing outward support is one of the key components of cultivating an atmosphere of respect and caring. When teaching mathematics, the support signal is instrumental to boosting confidence and allowing students the extra room needed to take a chance, make a mistake, and ultimately learn. As the sentiment overflows to other areas of camp, many students feel comfortable to be themselves. Not surprisingly, there were many performances, including an extremely moving poem by Tra’Shawnnia and multiple talents shared by seventh grader Carlos.
A brand new addition to Site I was the “Kindness Chain”. When witnessing another person performing an act of integrity or doing something for someone else, students were invited to write it down on a strip of paper and link it together. Hanging in the assembly hall, it didn’t take long for the chain to grow and it became a visible collection of moments or acts when the greatness of our kids shone through.
An exciting event every summer is the Simultaneous Chess Exhibition held in the fifth week of camp. Forty chess boards are set up and a chess master circulates the room simultaneously playing a different game at each board against the students. At Site I, James Canty, III, a Cass Tech high school student, on his way to becoming the youngest black Master, competed against the Math Corps students and dominated both morning and afternoon groups. Although students put forth a great effort, the combined skills and energy of 80+ people weren’t enough to break Mr. Canty.
Volunteer Day was offered again as a Friday activity and proved to be as successful as the year before. Both sites went to Gleaner’s Community Food Bank and sorted canned goods. Many students turned out for the activity, making it a wonderful success.
The greatness of our kids has been and will continue to be recognized. Math Corps was a finalist for “Educational Program of the Year Award” from Automation Alley. Attending the black tie awards ceremony and representing Math Corps were our very own students, Desian Samuel, high school teaching assistant and recipient of the “2008 Spirit of Math Corps” award, and Tishera Page, a seventh grader.
In a magnificent tribute to the students, a documentary about Math Corps “It All Adds Up”, produced by Academy award filmmaker Sue Marx, aired on PBS November 17th. The film showcases our students, highlights their achievements and features interviews with many of our very own stars. It is expected that the documentary will air nationally next year. Check out the promotional video at http://detroitpublictv.org/ondemand/promos/mathcorp.shtml.
Although these developments have been extremely exciting, it’s the academic and personal achievements of the students that are the most inspiring. Boasting a record setting 100% median on the final exam, Site II seventh graders set a new standard for next year’s incoming students. Coming early and staying late for tutoring, working hard in team time, completing homework everyday, striving for tens and stars on the homework and exploring mathematics at the highest levels in classes such as Discovery, Logic, Proofs, and Foundations of Advanced Mathematics were the achievements celebrated every day. The most compelling advocates for the program are the students themselves. The following are excerpts from their writings this past summer:
“Math Corps was awesome. I can go back to school being much smarter than everyone else.”
“I really love Math Corps…I felt welcomed and encouraged to do anything.”
“I honestly love Math Corps. When I am here I feel like I can just relax, even though I have to work.”
“This place is worth the next 27 summers for me. I love it here and I never want to leave.”
“…this camp brings out the best in most, if not all of us. It shows us our greatness and our beauty even when we never really see it. This camp opens us up to a whole new different world. It shows us the true meaning of family and I’m happy to be here. It is an honor.”
“The friends you make here will be your friends for life. The TAs, PAs, CIs, and CAs instantly become big brothers and sisters to the kids. These bonds will last a lifetime. There is always that sense of caring for one another”
“I finally found my greatness.”
