Petro Petreas’ Calculus AB classes recently hosted unique presentations on topics such as making ice cream, pranks, and doing cartwheels.  While focus of the projects may not be on mathematics, according to Petreas, they still provide an academic benefit.

Inspiration for the project came 10 years ago when Petreas 1st started teaching the course. “There was time to kill after the AP,” he explained. “They get to practice speaking in front of an audience, and they see the pain in standing in front of a large audience.”

The students, who were given the option to work in groups or alone, were graded on creativity, entertainment, and professionalism; satire and mockery were also encouraged. Students selected topics with which they were familiar, including debate, stage tech, and origami.

“Some of [the projects] horribly backfired,” said senior Max Garcia, whose Mento-in-a-Coke-bottle prank didn’t work out in front of the class. “But it was a fun experience, and I’m pretty sure I entertained everyone.”

The assignment was appreciated by students. “I think it’s cool to see some of the skills that other people have that we maybe didn’t know, such as Lauren [Landry] with her gymnastics skills,” said senior Adithi Subramaniam.

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