Weekend 2 at Bard: Debates, Relays, and Field Day

Instructor Tanya gathers the attention of members of the Orange Team as everybody prepares for Field Day activities.

It has been a jam-packed weekend at Bard BEAM 7, with Saturday marking the end of week 2 courses, an impromptu student-vs.-staff debate, round 2 of relays, and an all-day Field Day concluding with a student-vs.-staff game of capture the flag.

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Saturday Highlights:

Saturday was marked by a sudden decision which will likely leave a lasting legacy at BEAM 7: a program wide debate. After some quick logistical considerations, the plan became to have four rounds of student vs. staff debates, with the groups of student and staff debaters changing with each round. The groups of students who debated against staff were determined earlier in the day by having various groups of students practice debating against each other, with the staff choosing the groups which they believed would pose the biggest challenge.

So about what exactly did we debate? After careful consideration, the debate moderators--consisting of counselor Dave as well as students Jade, Camila, and Anthony--decided on four pressing, relevant, and emotional topics. At the beginning of each round, each side was randomly assigned to either argue FOR the issue at hand, or AGAINST it. The topics were as follows:

1. Should high school students be guaranteed a daily recess?
2. Should BEAM allow cell phones at all meals with out any rules?
3. Should Modules be abolished from the BEAM program?
4. Does pineapple belong on pizza?

After each round, all individuals who did not participate in that round got to vote on which side they thought argued their stance better. Staff won rounds 1 and 4 arguing for required recess and pineapple on pizza. Students won rounds 2 and 3 arguing against allowing cell phones but arguing to keep Modules in BEAM.

Immediately following these intense debates were another round of relays. Relays are a team-style competition where students complete problems in order to gain points. The teams with the most points get to choose from a selection of neat prizes! Check out some pictures of the event below.

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Sunday: FIELD DAY!

First of all, what constitutes a "Field Day"? Field Days can take many forms, and the exact schedule of one can vary across different summer programs. The general idea, however, is a day full of fun activities in which teams compete against each other to earn points--the team with the most points at the end of the day wins! For BEAM's field day, the winning team was rewarded with an extra helping of dessert at dinner.

Field Day!

After starting the morning with a late breakfast, students and staff divided up into the four field day teams: Red, Green, Purple, and Orange. With two staff members leading each team of 10, Field Day began with a 30 minute team meeting where strategy for the first event was discussed and face paint was distributed to get into the spirit of each team's color. Once everybody was decorated and ready, field day began! Here was the schedule of events:

1. 11-12 Photo Scavenger Hunt
2. 12-1 Break for Lunch and Opening Ceremonies
3. 1-1:30 Team Relay - Ping Pong Ball Balancing, Hula Hooping, and Jump Roping
4. 1:30-2 Human Knots
5. 2-2:45 Dance Off Competition
6. 2:45-3:15 Frisbee Throwing for Accuracy and Sponge Relay
7. 3:15-4:15 Tug of War and Break
8. 4:15-5 Water Balloon Fight and Water Balloon Cleanup Competition

After all the activities were finished, students got some down time before heading to dinner, with a game of Capture the Flag--again, students vs. staff--following dinner. Check out field day photos below!

“I really enjoyed field day because I got to do things that I’ve never been able to do in the city before. Playing tug-of-war, having a dance off, and participating in a water balloon fight were all incredible.”

— Sebastian

Entering Week Two at Bard

BEAM 7 students and staff pose at the end of their hike atop the North South Lake campground.

Week 1 at the Bard Campus has come to a very exciting close, and Week 2 is promising to be even better than the last! There were amazing guest speakers, two thrilling field trips, and many other fun activities, both math related and not. Take a peek below for some highlights from moments in class throughout the week:

Week 1 topics courses concluded on Saturday, which means the second week of classes started this past Tuesday! This week, instructors have the following course offerings:

• Cryptography: Having Secrete Conversations in Public
• Group Theory
• The Royal Family, Evil Guy, and Evolution of Number Kingdoms
• The Chinese Remainder Theorem
• Math Team Strategies
• Solving Big Problems

Consistent with last week, students choose one of the first four options as their topics course, and they also choose one of the last two for their problem solving course. But what other opportunities do students have to explore fun mathematical concepts besides in class? In addition to a camp wide challenge problems--the second of which has yet to be solved--students partake in "Modules" Tuesday-Friday night. Modules gives the students a chance to see the mathematical concepts of the flavor they are likely to see in school, but they're slightly trickier and help develop quick and efficient mathematical problem solving skills.  

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In Other News...

We had many exciting things happen this week! With the conclusion of the first round of topics courses on Saturday, the students were rewarded with the first round of relays: a competition between groups of students where they must solve math puzzles while completing specific tasks to earns points--the teams with the most points get their peak of some neat prizes. In addition to that, students got the privilege to listen to 2 guest speakers on Saturday: Stephen Wolfram and Pedro Poitevin. Stephen Wolfram is a renowned mathematician and computer scientist who developed the popular program Mathematica and website WolframAlpha.com. Pedro Poitevin is a mathematics professor at Salem State University in Massachusetts, and he was also the undergraduate adviser to Javier, one of the instructors. Check out the pictures of Saturday's exciting events below!

As a weekend treat, we went on a group hike at the North South Lake campground, where most students and staff made the 2 hour trek to the top. After enjoying a stunning view of upstate New York, there was a picnic ready and waiting at our hike's starting point, where the kids got to spend some well-deserved free time hanging out and playing games before packing up to head back to Bard.

Students getting ready to start their hike!

Welcome to BEAM 6 2017

Week 1: Start of Something New

The summer is in full swing, but BEAM is just getting started. So far students have been assorted into one of two sets, either Calderón or Granville, and begun taking classes in Logical Reasoning, Math Fundamentals, Applied Math, and Math Team Strategies.

Faculty member David assists Justin, Jose, and Conaré during Open Math Time. 

Some students are excited about taking their first class on computer programing, while others are asking hard hitting questions about force and relativity in their Space class.

"Give me more challenging problems" -Lilly (Calderón) proudly displaying her decorated binder

Jason, Brianna, Messiah, and Mohammad are enjoying an exciting game of Kickball. 

Open Math Time (OMT) gave everyone a chance to work on problem sets in groups or ask for assistance from the Teaching Assistants.

Nicole, Maryam, and Aamirah working during OMT

Last week many students have attempted this week's challenge problem during their OMT. Ten students have already completed the Challenge Problem. Students are discovering they have a lot in common with kids from both sets during their daily and weekly activity times.

What's happened in the first week at Bard?

First things first. Where exactly is Bard? Located about about a 2 hour drive north of New York City, our site for BEAM 7 rests right along the Hudson River nestled among the trees. While at Bard, BEAM7 operates most heavily in three buildings: Keene, our home base and dormitory for students and staff; Kline, the cafeteria where we eat all three meals each day; and Hegeman, where most activities and classes take place!

 

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Activities!

Pictured above: Counselor Kaylynn (middle) and instructor Javier (left of Kaylynn) play Set, a matching game which requires players to recognize patterns in a set of cards, with students Jack, Storm, and Seb. 

At BEAM, students get to choose between a variety of activities offered by counselors and faculty, ranging from high-energy sports and games to more relaxing crafts. So far this week, counselors have run:

• Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, Capture the Flag, Basketball
• Mandala Coloring, Hexaflexagon Making, Paper Airplanes
• THE Egg Drop Contest
• Cloud Watching, Exploring Bard's Campus, Settles of Catan

And this is just throughout the first week! Over the next two weeks, the counselors and staff will have many more activities to come...

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But what about the math?

A number of students work diligently on problem sets in their Math Team Strategies class, which reviews techniques for quick in easy problem solving in the face of seemingly difficult questions. Mathematicians can be a lazy bunch, so learning the techniques to making challenging problems easier is an important skill set!

So what math are the kids actually doing? This week, we have the following options:

• Number Theory
• Combinatorics
• Turing Machines
• Graph Theory
• Math Team Strategies
• Solving Big Problems

The best thing about our courses--besides the amazing instructors who design and teach them--students choose what interests them! Each student is in one of the first four options (called the core topics courses) and one of the last two options (called the problem solving courses). Stay tuned for more updates on what's happening at Bard for BEAM 7 2017!

A Day in the Life of BEAM!

What are students up to at BEAM 7? Follow us through a day at Union College!

First, classes! This week, students are taking the following classes:

• Exploring Infinity
• Numbers, Patterns, and Proof
• SET and Combinatorics 
• Logic and Proofs
• Solving Big Problems
• Math Team Strategies

Here are some photos from classes!

In the morning and the afternoon, students take activities: we offer sports, arts & crafts, library time, yoga, and so much more!  Check it out:

We're loving the meals at Union! Check out all these smiling faces at lunch:

In the afternoon, students have class, activities, class, then dinner.

After dinner, we return to the dorm for evening free time:

We cap out the day with Modules -- independent study designed to build stronger foundations in elementary and middle school math so students are even more ready for advanced math in the future. 

Then, it's off to hall meetings and then bed, so we're ready for another day of BEAM!

Meet the students! Meet the staff!

Each year, we take photos of every student and each member of the staff. The student photos came out so well that we decided to post them!  Meet our students:

Deana

Tuba

Guadalupe

Mouhamed

Joelvi

Elijah

Frankie

Gabriel

Jesus

Mariwa

Awa

Naomi

Ethan

Craig

Alex

Lyndon

Tahir

Porter

Brittney

Cynthia

Francine

Malachi

Jayden

Luis

Angelina

Luz

Kayla

Fidelis

Jevonie

Salimata

Sarah

Yi Ling

Geoffrey

Davon

Mohamed

Noe

Jaden

Lucas

Melanie

Naziah

Tyler

And also our staff!

Darleen (Director of Residential Life)

Benjy (Counselor/TA)

Reva (Faculty)

Michael (Counselor/TA)

Kyelee (Counselor/TA)

Fred (Counselor/TA)

Paula (Counselor/TA)

Aaron (Faculty)

Sarah (Faculty)

Allen (Counselor/TA)

Cassie (Counselor/TA)

Matt (Faculty)

Chelsea (Counselor/TA)

Dan (Faculty)

Lynn (Site Director)

Marcus (Faculty)

Siddhi (Faculty)

Cory (Faculty)

Geraldine (Guidance Counselor)

Dolores (Nurse)

Chelsea (Nurse)

Welcome to Bard!

We started the day with families and staff meeting at Bryant Park. Everyone was super excited to meet the students, and they all made a great first impression! Everyone took the documentary crew in stride and we began to see many friendships forming. Especially when students and staff went out for lunches.

The students then boarded the bus and were off to Bard! Upon arrival, they were given tours, got to know the campus, and soon got right to problem solving and game playing. 

An entry from a student: 

“At first I was very nervous to arrive to BEAM, but as soon as I got to see a few familiar faces and began to have great conversations with my peers, I was really excited to start classes.”

— Camila Perez

We can't wait to see how these students grow over the next few weeks, and to share some of this amazing experience with all of you! 

Day 0: Welcome to Union College!

Sunday, July 9, 10am: our staff arrive at Bryant Park and wait for the students to arrive!

The first students join us for board games (like Blokus!) in the park. After a filling lunch, the bus departs and we're on our way to Union!

At 4pm on Sunday, our bus arrives to Union!  It's time to unload our luggage, get keys, unpack, and explore the dorm, including making door decorations!

Then, we ended the day with a welcome meeting so we know what to expect for the rest of BEAM. Welcome to Union!

Setting Up BEAM at Union College!

It's July and we're here at Union College ready to meet BEAM students!  Staff have been hard at work for the last two days, unpacking and setting up for students. 

This afternoon, staff got together and brainstormed how to help students without giving away the math "a-ha!" moment of discovery. 

Staff are ready to welcome you to campus!  BEAM 7 2017 starts tomorrow!!

In Their Words: Our 12th graders reflect back on five years with BEAM

This June, we gathered 12 BEAM 12th graders to reflect on their five years with BEAM. Over dinner, we talked about college, and Fatimatou (BEAM 2011) offered advice from her first year of college. Students were presented with college tshirts to celebrate their next step!

We asked these 12 students and another 10 who weren't able to make it about their memories from BEAM 7 back in 2012 and how BEAM helped prepare them for college. Here are some of their words:

“My strongest memory of BEAM was the talent show. I started crying 3/4s of the way into it as I realized that after this BEAM would end and I’d have to go back home. BEAM introduced me to ultimate frisbee, foosball, Settlers of Catan, and Pascal’s Triangle. The math that we were introduced to was fun and completely different from what I’d encountered at my middle school. The math I’d been taught felt stiff and rigid in structure while the math taught at BEAM felt liquid; it almost had a flow to it. BEAM math was satisfying to complete. The math relays at the end of each week were also really fun. I remember excitedly dashing across the room to give my answers in and scribbling down equations and numbers as fast as I and my brain could manage. It felt good to see everyone together. ”

— Amy, headed to Fordham University

“BEAM was one of the first steps towards me developing skills that would assist me in learning when living away from home. The work ethic imposed upon us to struggle through a BEAM problem set together later helped me in boarding school when I ended up struggling again. I learned how to stick with a problem even when the end was not clearly in sight. I also learned ways to think outside the box and look at a problem through unique lens. Furthermore, BEAM helped me a lot in my search for college. Oftentimes, I returned to BEAM to talk about college, how my classes were going, and life at boarding school. BEAM was an important support system all throughout my high school career. ”

— Joel, headed to Wesleyan University

“I loved and still love learning. It was an amazing experience to be around people that were like me, who had the same nerdy interests. BEAM allowed me to not only fully embrace learning but also gave me a small college experience that I loved. And even after! I’m so grateful for the amount of support and experience BEAM gave me. I learned to be more ambitious with my goals which ultimately paved the way for summer programs at MIT and more.”

— Nicole, headed to NYU

“BEAM had allowed me to be familiar with difficult math than I had encountered in my early college classes. My strongest memory of BEAM 7 is when we all went out to look at the stars with councelors. As a 12th grader, I received lots of help from Dan and Ruthi, allowing me to determine which college was best for me. ”

— Quentin, headed to Ithaca College

“Living on a college campus taught me what I want from a college. And of course, BEAM helped me find out more about the college process and be ahead of the game when it came to applying.”

— Angelina, headed to University of Rochester

“BEAM connected me with advanced math and connected me with Bard High School Early College, which is a great school that has given me a great work ethic and time management skills. This will be my second summer working at BEAM 6, which was a job when I needed one, but also an opportunity to mold young minds and connect them to higher math. ”

— John, headed to Fordham University

“BEAM prepared me for college, because I got to live on a college campus and befriend people who I least expected. I learned it’s ok to question someone else’s answer. My strongest memory of BEAM is when I proved Dan wrong on a math problem. ”

— Jamila, headed to Howard University

“BEAM has connected me with summer programs to have the most impactful summers of my life. Thanks to BEAM, I attended Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp at Texas State. ”

— Abdoulaye, headed to George Washington University

“Staying on a college campus changed my decision about going to college from maybe to definitely. BEAM showed me the rigor of college level work and taught me how to work hard and to balance school life with social life.”

— Nicy, headed to University of Bridgeport

“BEAM made me love the college life. I’m excited to meet new people and have awesome experiences in college. Also, thanks to BEAM, I skipped two grades of math while in high school!”

— Gustavo, headed to Brooklyn College

BEAM 2012 along with BEAM Founder and Art of Problem Solving Initiative Executive Director Daniel Zaharopol
Back Row: Kiara (Lehigh University), Kiara (John Jay College), Joel (Wesleyan University), Quentin (Ithaca College), Angelina (University of Rochester), Derek (Colby College), Dominic (Pace University)
Front Row: Ana (Barnard College), John (Fordham University), Jahdel (City Tech)
Not Pictured: Abdel (New York University), Abdoulaye (George Washington University), Amy (Fordham University), Emalee (Hunter College), Greiny (SUNY Geneseo), Gustavo (Brooklyn College), Isaiah (SUNY Potsdam), Jamila (Howard University), Loquan (SUNY Albany), Nathaniel (Bronx Community College), Nicole (New York University), Shaunicia (University of Bridgeport), Salimatou (Baruch College), Stephanie (SUNY Plattsburgh), Taylor (Allegheny College), Zereena (SUNY Binghamton)