WFHS Geometry in Construction Featured on LI News Radio

Students and teachers from the William Floyd High School Geometry in Construction class were recently featured on the October 5 and October 12 episodes of “Spotlight on Long Island Schools,” a weekly Long Island News Radio 103.9 FM radio program airing on Saturday mornings throughout the school year. Robert Vecchio, who also serves as the president of the William Floyd Board of Education, hosts this Long Island school district highlights program. Teachers Michael Buffalino and Paul Vassallo, along with senior and Geometry in Construction alumnus David Bender, and Zoe Lopez, a ninth-grade student who is currently going through the course, sat down with Mr. Vecchio to talk about their experiences.

Currently in its fourth year, Geometry in Construction is a hands-on course for ninth graders that “comes to life” for students with real-world applications, which combine learning mathematics and completing small construction projects. Students are introduced to various careers including engineering, architecture, interior design and landscape architecture; they also learn about safety, problem solving, proper use of tools, drawing interpretations and making a good first impression on a job interview. Students must first complete Algebra I as a prerequisite, which occurs at William Floyd in the eighth grade.

“Geometry in Construction is common-core geometry mixed with technology and carpentry projects helping to give real-life applications to mathematics,” said Mr. Buffalino. “We try to solve real-life problems through projects and students apply that knowledge outside of school and in their lives.”

Mr. Vassallo added that this class is helping to develop hands-on skilled workers in students as young as the ninth grade. “They have tools in their hands and problems that they learn to solve,” he said. “This course gives students the employability that truly goes a long way for them. Business owners also come to us and inquire about the students that we are training.”

William Floyd High School senior David Bender, who went through this program as a freshman during its inaugural year in 2016-17, recalled some of the projects that he worked on including a birdhouse, a backyard cornhole game and even constructing an actual home scaled down to a manageable classroom size with architectural plans. David plans to attend Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall of 2020 and will pursue a degree in robotics engineering. “The CTE pathway is filled with rigorous courses and I wouldn’t have been able to get there without the problem-solving skills that I learned in Geometry in Construction,” he said.

You can listen to the show by following these links to Geometry in Construction Part I and Part II.

“Spotlight on Long Island Schools,” sponsored by the Suffolk Center for Speech and Myofunctional Therapy, promotes school pride moments, communicates school messages and curriculum, while providing thought-provoking interviews and discussions with students, school officials and educational leaders across Long Island. Be sure to tune in on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am on LI News Radio 103.9 FM or livestream the program at http://www.linewsradio.com.