New Calculus DE teacher

For the first time since Calculus DE  has been offered at Samo, an in-person teacher, Kelly Okla, is teaching the advanced math class.According to Okla, Calculus DE is an extremely high-level Calculus class covering the topics of Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra. The class takes the concepts of Calculus BC and puts them into three dimensions.Okla said that prior to this year, students who wanted to take Calculus DE had to take a video-conference class with a teacher from Malibu High School, but since student demand for the course increased this year Okla volunteered to teach the class."Students taking this class need their own physical teacher so that they can have more one-on-one contact and a more real experience," Okla said. According to Jennifer Reynoso ('15), the presence of a physical teacher was the deciding factor for whether or not she wanted to take the course next year."Having an in-class teacher would definitely be more personal and definitely more comforting than [having an] online [one]," Reynoso said. "It allows more of a student-teacher relationship to be established."According to math teacher Steve Rupprecht, Calculus DE does not count for any college credits, despite its advanced nature."[Calculus DE] is more of an experimental sampler of higher college math, but not an accredited course that gets college credit," Rupprecht said. "Most students take it simply because they appreciate the subject and love learning."According to Okla, some students take this class because of its applications in science, engineering and computer sciences."I want to take Calculus DE because it's a unique experience that's not offered at most schools," Reynoso said. "Also, taking Calculus DE would put me a step ahead of other people in the field of mathematics."Besides getting ahead in mathematics, Jahangir Habib ('14) is taking the course because of its benefits for real life applications."I hope to gain a more advanced understanding of math," Habib said. "I'm truly fascinated by the amazing things that have been created with math and am just driven to learn more despite the fact that I won't be receiving AP credit."Okla said that having a live teacher completely changes the class' atmosphere."The personality of the class is completely different with a teacher there," Okla said. "The fact that there's someone in the room actively teaching and lecturing creates an environment with positive energy that propels learning forward."njohnson@thesamohi.com