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This week I would like to share the great things our math department is working on this year. Along with Reteach, Saturday Reteach, and utilizing a data wall to track student growth and progress, the math department is working on Chromebook integration and SMART whiteboards for collaborative learning. Our math department has created a wonderful program built on shared decision-making, interventions, and offering students multiple opportunities to find success. Please take a moment to meet the FHHS math department:
Cristine Barsema teaches Algebra 2, Algebra 3 Concepts, AP Statistics, AP
Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC. She writes, "My teaching career began in 1997. I have taught at Fountain Hills High School ever since then (except from 2005-2008). I love to teach math to students at all levels. I want to give students the knowledge of math and show them that they can achieve at it. I have been married for 22 years to my husband, Matt. We have two children, Hannah and Hudson. My own children come to the FHUSD schools, because this is an awesome district. My daughter is a senior and my son is in 7th grade. I have my Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education, and my Master's degree in Teaching."
Sueann Day teaches Algebra 1 and Math Essentials. She writes, "My teaching
career began in 1996 when I got my Bachelor's degree from ASU in education. I first taught in the Deer Valley School District for six years as a 6th grade teacher. I then took a few years off to be home with my youngest daughter Ashley. I then continued my teaching career here in Fountain Hills by teaching 4th grade for six years at Four Peaks Elementary. I absolutely love teaching, but my passion for math was ever-growing. I then transitioned to teaching at Fountain Hills Middle School, where I taught 8th grade math for four years. I began to pinpoint my love for teaching algebra and also got my Masters in Education with an emphasis in Math. The opportunity arose for me to teach at FHHS, and I jumped on it. The first school year as a high school teacher was amazing, and I am looking forward to many more years here at our beautiful high school. I have two daughters: Allison, who graduated from FHHS is now 24 years old, and another daughter, Ashley, who is a senior this year at FHHS."
Maria Everetts teaches Geometry and Algebra 2. She writes, "I was born and
raised in Ambridge, PA, a small steel-mill town 19 miles north of Pittsburgh. By 1987, I earned a BS in elementary education from Slippery Rock University and a BS in Mathematics from Penn State University. My career began as a morning kindergarten teacher and, in the afternoon, as a Business Calculus Lab instructor at Penn State-Beaver campus. I taught in PA for three years before moving to Englishtown, NJ. During my 3 years in NJ, I taught Honors Algebra to 8th graders at a middle school in East Windsor. I also worked for the Freehold Regional Schools instructing night school Algebra classes to adults entering the nursing profession as well as instructing SAT Prep courses. I moved to AZ in 1996 where I worked at Mesa High School for 8 years teaching Geometry and Math Lab. I left Mesa High School to build my home in Fountain Hills with my husband of 32 years,Walt, and my 2 sons, Andrew and Nicholas. My sons both attended FHHS. Nicholas is currently working towards his PhD in Computational Biology at UC Berkeley. Andrew goes to physical therapy at Barrow in his efforts to recover from a motorcycle crash. As for me, I simply enjoy teaching math to high school students and I am honored to work alongside outstanding staff at FHHS. I hold high standards and expectations for my students to unlock their best potential. I find it most rewarding to run into former students after they graduate to discover how well they are doing in the real world and I feel happy to know that I made a small contribution to the next generation."
Mary Murray teaches Algebra 3, Algebra 2 and Precalculus. She writes, "I was born in Boston and lived in New England until moving to Arizona in November 2000. I attended Northeastern University in Boston where I was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. I worked in the chemical industry for 12 years prior to moving to Arizona. I served in the Army Reserve from 1988 until 1994. I have a husband of 30 years and two daughters, Danielle who teaches fifth grade science at Basis in Tucson, and Michelle who studies Forensic Science at Grand Canyon University. I returned to school for my Master's in Education in 2010 after working as a substitute teacher in the classroom for about three years. I have been teaching high school mathematics since 2012. As a Chemical Engineer with industrial experience, I enjoy challenging students to apply what they learn in math class to many different types of application problems."
The department states, "We are experts in our field and enjoy teaching math to the students at FHHS. We incorporate knowledge, insight and technology into our lessons each day. The math department uses Beyond Textbooks which is aligned to the Arizona state standards. We use materials from the site to enhance our teaching and our student learning."
The math department offers after school Reteach sessions the week following a unit formative. All students are encouraged to attend if they would like a second chance at the formative quiz from the previous week. Reteach is a great opportunity to maximize skills and learn in a small group setting.
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