Fancy, baked-good, black-out Fridays. You’d think these classroom celebrations came out of Home Ec. Rather, they are the product of Multivariable Calculus.
This year’s Multivariable—or Multivar—students have found the fun in Fridays—creating events in which students dress up, enjoy food, or celebrate school spirit.
The weekly celebration has come to be known as “Fancy Friday” since its origin. It all started after several students in the class complimented seniors Holliday Shuler and Catherine Henry on their fashion sense. In response, Shuler noted that the boys in the class never looked nice—and so it began. Now, every seven days, Multivar students take pride in suiting up.
The trend has yet to cease, mainly due to the enthusiasm of the class because the students sincerely enjoy each other’s company. “We’ve all known each other for so long,” said Shuler.
Multivariable Calculus teacher, Ms. Pamela Douglas, agrees that the class dynamic is the result of the friendships that her students have built in past math classes. “They have seen each other develop and grow through Honors Precalculus, BC Calculus, and now they are energetic to see math at a new level.”
Her best memory of her Multivar students was when they came into class in prom attire on one Fancy Friday. “This class is very engaged—they always want more and want to know the why and what when solving math problems.”
And what math problems they are. For those unaware of Langley’s highest-level math course, Multivariable Calculus is a college-level course that follows AP Calculus BC. First semester covers calculus with—get this—multiple variables, and second semester students delve into linear algebra.
When asked to explain, Senior Saba Eskandarian said, “ask Nathaniel Howe to draw a hyperbolic paraboloid.”
If you can’t follow that, you’re not alone. But perhaps you may be able to follow where Multivar’s weekly wardrobe is headed. In the first few weeks of the school year, the students created “Fancy Fridays.” By Oct. 7, they coupled Fancy Fridays with Baked Good Fridays, and by Black Out Day they had created “Cucumber Fridays”—started after Eskandarian pulled a cucumber out of his bag on what was supposed to be “Baked Good” Friday.
And for those concerned that Multivar’s energy will burn out, don’t be: the class has recently created Fun Fruit Fridays.
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Photos by Aimee Cho