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Hard work of ARHS Math Teams, Math Honor Society adds up to successful year

By Liz Nolan Contributing Writer NORTHBOROUGH/SOUTHBOROUGH - Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) students who are members of the school’s math teams and its Mathematics Honor Society are not new to the kinds of challenges posed by COVID-19 and the 2020-2021 school year. In fact, solving problems is what these students enjoy doing – specifically, problems relating to geometry, algebra, probability and number theory.

The math teams typically hold practices and competitions from September through March each year. ARHS competes as part of the Worcester County Math League (WOCOMAL). Other schools they compete against include Westborough and Shrewsbury High Schools, St. John High School, and the Advanced Math and Science Academy.

Freshmen Math Team Coach and Math National Honor Society Advisor Eileen Falcone said this year’s in-person meets could not be held. Instead, competitions were held remotely and participants competed individually instead of as a team.

Despite the format changes, students adapted, competed, gained knowledge and had fun.

“It is a learning process,” said ARHS and Math Honor Society senior student Joshua Cheng. “Join if you enjoy math and don’t be shy about not knowing enough math. It takes practice.”

Freshmen math team member Isabella Palit, who started competing on math teams in middle school, agrees.

“It is more important to be excited about math and like math rather than being good at math,” she said. “You will get stuck, but you will get past the hurdle.”

Palit jumped the hurdles and was named the top freshman scorer and the recipient of the Tom Severance Scholarship.

Instructional Technology Specialist and Varsity Math Team Coach Brian Calnan further reflected on the success of his team this year. His team participated in a variety of competitions, some outside of the typical ones offered, and ARHS students earned top scores.

“You learn so much being on the math team,” said Falcone. “It’s not about not getting any problems wrong, it’s about working through some challenging problems with classmates.” Cheng said that process of practicing and working through challenging helps to get used to other problems, some of which might not have been learned yet in class.

Alongside the ARHS math teams, the school also recently reinstated the Math Honor Society, incorporating math and community outreach in programming.

Students worked with second and fourth-grade students at Marguerite E. Peaslee Elementary School before schools were shut down in March 2020.

“They helped with math lessons, math games, and shared their excitement of math with younger students,” said Falcone. “They really enjoyed it and were disappointed we couldn’t continue. The impact these students had on second and fourth graders was so significant. We look forward to next year and hope to start working with other schools in the district too.”

Members also assisted Principal Sean Bevan in measuring optimal space to help students follow social distancing restrictions at lunchtime.

Falcone continues to spark interest in math for all students and help them see how math is involved in everything.

Hosting guest speakers, some of whom were Algonquin alumni who are pursuing career paths that use mathematics, and celebrating Pi Day in March are other ways math is brought into the lives of students.

Principal Sean Bevan stands with student Isabella Palit, the top freshman Math Team scorer and the recipient of the Tom Severance Scholarship.

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New Beal School on schedule for opening in the fall WHS grad receives ATF scholarship

By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter SHREWSBURY - “Substantial” completion of the new Maj. Howard W. Beal Elementary School was done July 23, Shrewsbury’s vice chair of the Board of Selectmen, John Lebeaux, reported during the board’s July 27 meeting.

“That is a major, major milestone,” said Lebeaux, who is chair of the Beal Early Childhood Center Building Committee.

The project is proceeding on time, under budget and with minimal equipment delays, Lebeaux said.

The Beal Early Childhood Center Building Committee met prior to the selectmen.

Project leaders told the board that the building is filled with furniture. They anticipated that paving both on the site and on nearby Lake Street would start and wrap up during the second week of August.

“All the site landscape is in, [the] building is buttoned up,” said Project Architect Sean Brennan. “We’re working through punch list items as we speak, and if any items remain, we’ll take care of them on off-hours to reduce any impact on any of the occupants.”

Patrick Collins, who is the Assistant Superintendent for Operations and Administration, asked when they could expect a majority of the workers to demobilize and leave.

“My visualization of a punch list is people doing finnish carpentry or painting, and it’s really not disruptive to the educational program,” Collins said.

Project Engineer Ryan DiPasquale said they were working on having as much of the

PHOTO/LAURA HAYES Shrewsbury’s brand new Beal School is all but complete as it remains on schedule to open for classes in the fall.

interior punch list work completed by Aug. 16, when teachers will be getting their rooms set up.

“That’s a primary focus of ours — to make sure there’s no disruption to teachers and eventually to students,” DiPasquale said.

He said school community members may still see some workers working on the building’s mural and doing other miscellaneous work.

The mural is a replica of a mural on the second floor of the old Beal School. Pictures were taken of that mural and a new version was reproduced on laminate.

The goal is to have the mural installed in the new school by the time the building gets its official dedication, said Brennan.

“I saw it at the millworks shop,” Brennan said. “It’s impressive. It’s cool to see. It would have been great to have the original come, but this is the next best thing.”

Shrewsbury Superintendent Joseph Sawyer thanked this project’s contractors for their work to meet the deadline.

“You have people working on the weekend schedule in order to try to make these dates because it’s important for us to be able to get in there and do what we need to do to start the school year successfully,” Sawyer said. “So, thank you.” WESTBOROUGH - A Westborough High School, Class of 2021 graduate was recently awarded a scholarship through the ATF Association.

The association is a nonprofit group consisting of former and current employees of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Tyler Finnerty received $2,500 as part of the ATF’s LeBleu, McKeehan, Williams & Willis Scholarship, which is named after four ATF special agents who were killed when they were Tyler Finnerty will soon study finance and executing federal warrants Chinese at Villanova University. at the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas in 1993.

Finnerty, who will be studying mathematics with a minor in finance and Chinese at Villanova University, wrote several essays about how he blended his family, work and school life with his involvement in the community. His writing included discussions of how his achievements honored the achievements of the fallen ATF agents.

Finnerty was also awarded $1,000 through the Leonard F. Leamy Scholarship, which was given to graduating seniors in Worcester County who plan to study math or actuarial science.

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