Country Day’s Upper School math program blends technology, creativity, and collaboration to prepare students for a data-driven world.
From Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered assessment tools and inquiry-based exploration to hands-on projects and real-world problem-solving, Upper School math teachers are using creativity and innovation to make math more relevant and engaging for all learners. Importantly, they are also a cohesive team of educators who collaborate frequently to design curriculum. The strong working relationships within the math department fuel teachers to continually tweak and enhance their lesson plans to create ever-improving and engaging classroom experiences.
They also regularly design practical applications to pair with students’ science classes, such as using logistical models in Calculus to relate to topics in AP Environmental Science. Here’s a look at a few ways the Upper School’s dynamic math curriculum fosters critical-thinking skills and prepares students to navigate a data-driven future.
AI Tools Support Mastery and Confidence in Math
Not surprisingly, Upper School math teachers are thoughtfully integrating AI into their curricula to enhance student engagement and personalize learning. For instance, for her Algebra 2 course, Shanel Hine used AI to help design a hands-on linear regression lab in which students launched paper airplanes with varying weights and then modeled the relationship between weight and flight distance. For AP Statistics, she used AI to help students prepare for the AP exam by reviewing inference procedures and generating custom practice problems based on uploaded materials.
Teachers also use AI-powered platforms like Wayground (formerly Quizizz) to develop custom practice questions, assess student progress, and provide real-time feedback with hints and explanations. Students also take initiative by using AI tools to review independently, such as uploading problems to receive similar examples with step-by-step solutions. Additionally, AI has been used to create visual aids like summary charts, making abstract concepts more accessible.
Laura TrojanUpper School Math Department ChairWayground AI has helped us better analyze student progress and identify skills that need remediation. It also gives students immediate hints and explanations, which makes their practice more meaningful. Across courses, AI helps teachers personalize instruction and foster a deeper understanding of math.”
Zombie Math: Pre-Calc Meets the Apocalypse
When it comes to thinking up a memorable way for students in Pre-Calculus to grasp the difference between linear growth and exponential growth, teachers Stacy Heintschel and Allyson Singh ’14 have discovered you can’t go wrong with a zombie apocalypse simulation.
The teachers serve as patient zero and “infect” their students via either strain A, in which the zombie infects three people each, but the new zombies can’t infect others (linear); or strain B, in which each day every zombie infects three new people (exponential). Over the course of the lesson, students make predictions, write and interpret equations, create and analyze data tables, and graph both functions to visually compare the rate of change.
"This activity serves as a reinforcement for the students and deepens their understanding,” explains Mrs. Heintschel. “It also allows them to clearly compare exponential and linear growth in a real-world context. The hands-on simulation makes the abstract concepts more tangible and provides a natural bridge into analyzing equations, interpreting graphs, and discussing growth patterns more formally.”
“While most students know that exponential growth will beat out linear over time, they are often surprised to see that linear is winning at first,” explains Mrs. Singh. “The J-shaped curve they graph gives them a visual comparison of how exponential growth quickly outpaces linear growth and often leads to insightful discussions surrounding real-world implications, such as population growth or virus spread.”
Best of all, students say they like the zombie simulation because it helps them to experience and visualize the concepts they are learning, and it gets them moving around and interacting with their classmates.
Laura TrojanUpper School Math Department Chair“AI has helped us better analyze student progress and identify skills that need remediation.”
Hands-On Geometry
In Geometry, students connect abstract concepts to real-life contexts through an engaging, weeklong assignment called Flip or Flop. Working with an assigned partner, they are tasked with working out the formulas to profitably renovate and resell a ranch-style house in need of new flooring, paint, and appliances. And the floor plan is a little challenging in that there is an angled wall and a circular wall. By calculating perimeter and area using proper formulas, they reinforce their understanding beyond abstract worksheets and also get to take creative ownership of their “house.” “We give them a lot of space to be creative,” explains math teacher Allison Niekras. “They use the Home Depot website to select their flooring, appliances, and paint, and must make real-world decisions to stay within budget. Some students can be very passionate about their design aesthetic, and while that’s not necessary to getting the math right, it helps students practice their persuasion and collaboration skills.”
The accuracy of their calculations, how well they apply area and perimeter concepts to real-world design choices, and their ability to justify selections based on measurements all go into assessing how well they completed the project. The group partners also create a PowerPoint presentation to share their calculations and design choices with the class.
“As a math teacher, I enjoy seeing how creative the students can get with this project,” says Mrs. Niekras. “Some students challenge themselves to spend as little as possible, while others come up with inventive scenarios. My favorite is a group that incorporated a story about Batman tracking down a nemesis, then buying and renovating the house.”
While students say this is their favorite activity of the year, Mrs. Niekras and her teaching partner, Mrs. Heintschel continue to update and tweak the assignment. For instance, over the years, they have adjusted their language from master bedroom to primary bedroom and adjusted housing costs and budgets to keep up with current standards.
Finally, at the end of their presentations, students reflect on whether or not flipping a house is worth it, which often sparks interesting discussion about real estate, budgeting, and investment decisions.
Stealing Second: A Mathematical Investigation of Speed and Success in Baseball
You don’t often think of 4,000-word research papers when you think of high school math. Yet that’s what International Baccalaureate (IB) students produce as their capstone math project. This Internal Assessment (IA) challenges students to explore a topic of interest and apply mathematical concepts, analyze data, model phenomena, and understand patterns in a novel or real-world context beyond routine classroom problems.
Students are expected to take initiative, plan, investigate, and reflect independently,” explains Mrs. Trojan. “And, as with any research paper, they must communicate mathematical ideas clearly and logically using appropriate notation, representations, and explanations. The IA experience is challenging because it is aligned with the kind of academic writing expected in college, but it can also be a lot of fun because students can choose a topic they want to explore."
For instance, one student studied how various measurements of breast cancer tumors can be modeled depending on whether the tumor is malignant or benign. Another student used statistical inference methods to determine whether the shuffle mode in Spotify is truly random (evidence suggests it is not).
Kensie Bush ’25 is an avid baseball fan; it’s a passion she shares with her father, who played minor league baseball. For her paper, Stealing Second, Kensie investigated the mathematics behind one of baseball’s most electrifying plays: the stolen base.
While stealing a base is often a split-second decision by players, Kensie set out to determine what measurable factors, specifically runner speed, catcher throw time, and runner leadoff distance, influence the likelihood of a successful steal to second base. Through data-driven modeling and real 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) statistics, she explored the physical and strategic dynamics of base stealing. Kensie began by identifying her primary focus: analyzing how runner speed and leadoff distance affect a player’s chance of stealing second base successfully.
To assess whether a player’s speed is sufficient to beat the throw to second base, Kensie also calculated the average time it takes for a catcher to throw to second. Through the research process, Kensie realized she had a missing variable in the model, in that it assumes the runner starts moving only after the ball reaches the catcher. Runners often begin stealing just before or as the pitcher delivers the ball. By factoring in pitch time (≈0.5 seconds)—the time it takes for the ball to travel from pitcher to catcher— her resulting speed fell within the range of real MLB player speeds, validating why many runners successfully steal second base. Kensie’s exploration illustrated how mathematical modeling can demystify athletic performance.