Applying to High School: "It wasn't this hard when I was in 8th grade!"

It's that time again!  Every quarter, we recap recent news and upcoming events for our followers.  The most recent newsletter featured information about how 8th grade BEAM students apply to high school, an invitation to our upcoming trivia night, our inaugural "what we're reading section", and a recap of our recent essay writing workshop (because the growth mindset applies to writing just as much as it does to math!). 

To read the full newsletter, click here.  Sign up for future BEAM announcements at the bottom of this page. 

Getting on track for 8th grade: High School Information Session

This Saturday, 45 8th graders and their families joined BEAM to hear about high schools, how to apply, and also to hear the perspectives of BEAM students now in high school.  At the end of the event, students went home with personalized recommendations for which high schools to apply to as well as a calendar of next steps. 

High School Information Session

Missed the event?  Here's some information and advice from our high school BEAM students. 

“BEAM suggested that I apply to NEST+m because I was studying for the SHSAT and the exams are similar. I ended up not getting into any specialized schools, but I did get into NEST+m. I have just finished two weeks there and I like it. Everyone is friendly. You can go up to an 11th grader and ask a question and they will help you.”
— Adrianne, 9th grade, NEST+m
Adrianne
“I first studied for the SHSAT during my summer at BEAM. I ended up being accepted into Bronx Science and Bard High School Early College and chose Bronx Science. There was some culture shock when I first arrived, but it’s absolutely the right school for me. ”
— Andy, 11th grade, Bronx Science
Andy
“BEAM exposed me to high schools I had never heard of. I went to visit Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) with BEAM. In the end, I got into both Brooklyn Tech and BHSEC. BEAM helped me make a decision and I went with BHSEC, which is the best choice I ever made.”
— Lennin, 10th grade, BHSEC
Lennin.jpg
“I went to the Citywide High School Fair with BEAM. They taught me how to shake hands and introduce myself. While there, I talked with the Assistant Principal of the Academy for Software Engineering (AFSE). I really liked her and the school, so I went to an Open House to learn more. I ended up ranking it first and got in. I like the school because of its community environment.”
— Mona, 11th grade, AFSE
Mona

You can read more about each of their high schools on InsideSchools:

8th graders?  Interested in attending one of these schools?

  • Next step for Academy for Software Engineering: sign up for their mailing list; then, attend an Open House
  • Next step for Bard High School Early College: come to the essay writing workshop on October 1; then, take the admissions assessment with us on October 25
  • Next step for Bronx Science: keep studying for the SHSAT and ask BEAM for help with that
  • Next step for NEST+m: sign up for the entrance exam; we recommend the October 29 date, as it's exactly one week after the SHSAT

BEAM is here to help with high school!  Please reach out if you have any questions. 

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"Not all math be solved in 5 minutes or less.": What BEAM's students said about the summer

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Are you on BEAM's mailing list?  Every quarter, we recap recent news and upcoming events for our followers.  The most recent newsletter featured information about our programs for 6th, 7th, 10th, and 11th graders, as well as an invitation to join us for our annual upscale pizza and math trivia night on Tuesday, November 15, 2016.

To read the full newsletter, click here.  Sign up for future BEAM announcements at the bottom of this page. 

What did students gain from BEAM 6?

This summer, for the first time, students from half of BEAM's partner schools were invited to the new BEAM 6 program for the summer after 6th grade.  With support from great teachers, college students, and even past BEAM alumni who returned as junior counselors, the students learned advanced math in areas such as logical reasoning, math team strategies, and afternoon math circles.

Hosted at the Urban Assembly Maker Academy, this was BEAM's first-ever non-residential program.  With an intentional focus on building community, our students made friendships that will last a lifetime and help guide them through their paths from here on out.

“Math is like a friend that was also [there] in the good and bad times. My favorite part of BEAM is when we have math circles.”
— Yarely, 12, Ridgewood
Yarely (right)

Yarely (right)

“Math is something everyone should learn. It’s amazing and I hope I can keep on learning more math. I want to get a PhD in math.”
— David, 12, Allerton (Bronx)
David

David

“Math is like a whole different world to me and I love it. When I do math I get lost in the world. It’s amazing. [At BEAM,] I learned how to work with others, share my ideas, and also hear other people’s ideas.”
— Vicky, 12, Washington Heights
Vicky

Vicky

“Math is a way to express yourself to the world. My favorite part of BEAM is being able to work in a community that is just as passionate about math as me and being [able] to work with these people to expand my knowledge.”
— Anthony, 12, Melrose (Bronx)
Anthony

Anthony

“[Math] allows me to explore what I haven’t before and to challenge my brain’s limits.”
— Camila, 12, Mott Haven (Bronx)
Camila

Camila

Every student who attended BEAM 6 is invited to continue their studies with a free online Prealgebra course at Art of Problem Solving; free books from BEAM; and recommendations to future programs and high schools.  Forty of the students will be back next summer for BEAM 7 at Bard College! 

While still a pilot program, we are so pleased with how BEAM 6's first summer went and we look forward to expanding it to serve students from all our partner schools in summers to come.  

Week 3 Class: Aerodynamics

This is a guest post by Matt Weber, our Math Team Strategies instructor. 

I walk into Cory Colbert’s Aerodynamics class and find the students working on vector addition and subtraction, a topic not normally taught till 11th grade Pre-Calculus. A discussion among one group of three strikes me as highly representative of the BEAM attitude: a problem has asked them to “verify” a particular property of vectors, but one student, a veteran of the Proofs class from the first week, is not satisfied with the single numerical example they have used. We get into a discussion of the difference between verifying with a numerical example and truly proving something: since this class is geared more towards pragmatic applications, verification is enough—for now, anyway.

Cory is having the students work through several examples using both a geometric representation of the vector combinations on a graph, and a purely numerical approach. The point is to show that they have the same result, so that the students can feel comfortable using the “shortcut” of just adding or subtracting the vector components—even without a formal proof, it’s a robust way of making sure that at BEAM, no one is ever asked to accept something solely on the teacher’s say-so. This program gives teachers and students alike enough space and time not to rush, to become comfortable enough with one set of tools to be able to use them fluently in new situations.

Speaking of which: why is Cory teaching this particular topic? After the students reassemble from a short break, he reveals the reason, with a presentation on the relationship between vectors and forces. (“What’s a force?” Cory asks. “...I will accept at most one Star Wars reference.” A student quickly obliges by quipping that the answer is “Yoda.”) The class settles on the idea that forces cause objects to move.

There are two pairs of opposing forces acting on a plane in flight: lift versus gravity, thrust versus drag. He starts with a discussion of gravity, neatly dodging a potential derailment about whether or not the “theory of gravity” has actually been “proven.” And this is why they need to understand vectors, to represent these four forces. A student question gets at the heart of the matter: “How does it generate lift if the propellers are on the side?”

A brief discussion ensues, covering space travel, escape velocity, aerodynamics, and related matters. One student mentions that it takes much less fuel to get from orbit around the Earth to the Moon, than it did simply to leave Earth and get into orbit around it. Cory says that by the end of the class, they will be able to explain why. But the immediate next topic is to understand why a box resting on a table doesn’t move, if the force of gravity is the only force acting on it. This is a surprisingly subtle question, since we don’t normally think of tables as exerting an upward force—but they do! Meanwhile, Cory’s provocative questions lead the students to, in essence, figure out Newton’s Laws of Motion for themselves, at least in a qualitative sense. After vectors, these Laws are the crucial next waypoint in their flight of discovery.

Six Flags!

It's everyone's favorite field trip!  On Monday, July 25, the whole BEAM team headed to Six Flags New England for a day of roller coasters, bumper cars, and shopping for super hero capes!  After a full (and hot!) day at the park, we headed to Friendly's for dinner and then back to campus.  Here are some favorite photos of the day:

 

At the Water Park

Water park group

On Monday, July 18, the whole group (Vassar and Bard students, too!) went to Splashdown Beach for a fun water park day (even if it was shortened by the rain!).  Here are some photos of our day!