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Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy inspires students to succeed

10 MEMBERS Of FIRST GRADUATING CLASS HEADED TO CSUMB

While many teens spent the last days of summer at the beach, more than 115 incoming eighth-graders from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties hunkered down with calculators and pencils at the sixth annual Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy.

The Algebra Academy was held over four days at Graniterock’s corporate office in Watsonville. Then came a field trip to CSU Monterey Bay and a graduation ceremony at E.A. Hall Middle School in Watsonville. The algebra immersion program gives students a solid foundation in math through lessons taught by CSUMB faculty members Dr. Hongde Hu and Lorraine O'Shea and instructors from UC Santa Cruz.

It also offers hands-on practice outside of the classroom, gives students the tools to excel at math and encourages them to think about attending college.

It was started by the late Bruce W. Woolpert, Graniterock’s president and CEO, and corporate counsel Kevin Jeffery, who were passionate about the education of local students. They believed in the importance of students having a strong foundation in math.

In 2010, Woolpert and Jeffery invited Dr. Hu to devise a curriculum and work with students at Watsonville’s Rolling Hills Middle School, and the program has grown since then.

It includes school-based math clubs that keep the program going after the academy ends. Students go on field trips and learn how science and math are used in the workplace.

The Algebra Academy has seen many successes. Forty members of the first class – which numbered 45 students – graduated from high school in June; 10 of them have been admitted to CSU Monterey Bay in the fall. Also, many academy students go on to take algebra II and pre-calculus as high school sophomores and juniors.

At CSUMB on Aug. 11, Dr. Marsha Moroh, dean of the College of Science, told the students, "about 500 of you have come through this academy. How many of you plan to attend college?" Almost all of them raised their hands.

"Bruce loved math. He believed learning algebra at your age is the key to unlocking a successful future," Jeffrey told the students.

Participating schools include Aromas School, E.A. Hall Middle School, Pajaro Middle School, Rancho San Justo Middle School, Rolling Hills Middle School, San Juan Middle School and Tres Pinos Middle School.

In addition, Graniterock has created the Bruce W. Woolpert Mathematics Award for incoming CSUMB math majors who graduated from Watsonville, Pajaro or San Benito high schools. Priority goes to Algebra Academy graduates, though all math majors are encouraged to apply.