PARTY OF ONE, FRIEND TO ALL

When you have to do research after an interview with a student, it’s a good indicator of their level of intelligence. Oak Farm Montessori High School Senior, Wesley Wolheter, has a profound love for, and understanding of, physics. His casual conversation about subatomic physics, quantum entanglement and working with CERN left me realizing I had a lot to learn from this young man who scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT.

Although Wesley admits math and science were not his favorite subjects when he was younger, the introduction of choice projects at the middle school level allowed him to delve deeper into specific interests. Having experienced a traditional preschool education and then homeschooled until fourth grade, when he came to OFMS, Wesley has an appreciation for all experiences. He shared, “My parents set up independence, similar to OFMS; I had tasks and was given time to do them. When I think of Montessori, two main things I think of are: vast independent time in upper elementary and creativity in choice projects at the middle school.” When asked how high school varies from these two examples Wesley had this to say, “High school is a culmination of all of that. Setting your final due dates and creativity in how you make that look. We also get to determine how we get to the final destination.” While no particular level worked best, he feels that each level was what he needed at that developmental age.

A voracious reader, Wesley remembers sometimes getting in trouble for reading too much. “We were only supposed to read 15 minutes a day in middle school, but I did way more than that!” He laughed. The various libraries at each building were his second home, but the middle school library was his favorite. The book, WeHaveNoIdea: AGuidetotheUnknown Universe , by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson, was the catalyst for his desire to study Physics. Not only does he want to learn and absorb as much knowledge about this subject as he can, he also has a strong desire to share with others. As part of his Capstone project, Wesley worked with PFW professor, Dr. Sally Mikhail, and several seniors on lasers and quantum entanglement. They all encouraged him to share his teaching ability with others. This solidified his path for the project as he worked with OFMS middle school teacher, Heather Lemmon, to present four lessons on quantum physics over the course of two weeks to a small group of students who were interested. Wesley also hand created shelf work that complimented said lessons so the students could practice and explore with concrete materials. Although he provided pre and post follow up questions and answers to the students and teacher mentor, it was not about the grade at the top of the paper. “I was not expecting them to get a perfect score. I saw improvement in their understanding and this is what I was hoping for.” he shared.

What is Wesley most excited for in heading off to West Lafayette? Like most young adults, he is looking forward to the independence it will afford. He will be rooming with his cousin this fall and that will provide a built in comfort zone for his biggest concern; making new friends. Beyond the basic Maslow hierarchical needs, Wesley mentioned a few long term goals he has while at Purdue. “There are so many undergraduate research opportunities! I will have access to see data from CERN, the large Hadron Collider, and hope to eventually get my PhD and go into research.” he excitedly shared.

And what words of advice would he offer to other OFMS students? “Explore things that you’re interested in, you never know what you might enjoy.” As for his favorite teacher, he has had many over the years. After some thought, he decided that OFMHS Math Teacher, Doug Desper, would have to be his choice. “Not only did he take one of my least favorite subjects and turn it into one of my favorites, but he was able to make learning something that people don’t always enjoy into something fun. Plus, he’s a Purdue fan, so that’s cool as well.” he said with a smile.