Three Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) students are being highlighted in a new, nationwide math curriculum.
Current eighth-grade students at Tommie Kunst Junior High School — Kenneth Corona, Taylor Smith, and Renata Unbe-Quezada — are featured in a promotional video for the MidSchoolMath curriculum, and video footage captured of the trio will be used in the curriculum itself.
Kenneth, Taylor and Renata, along with several other SMBSD students, followed an application process to be part of the curriculum, including answering questions about why they wanted to participate.
The students selected from SMBSD along with their chaperones Aimey Balderman (Tommie Kunst Junior High math teacher) and Ryan Hubbard (SMBSD teacher on special assignment, STEAM), were immersed in content relevant to California as part of the filming.
They had the opportunity to visit Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, where they learned about the sequoia trees and their role in removing carbon dioxide from the environment.
The students also ventured to San Francisco, where they boarded a wooden schooner, the Mathew Turner, to learn about navigation. They explored the elements necessary for a successful sailing journey.
During filming for MidSchoolMath, the students solved questions and participated in investigations that linked math standards to their experiences. The student team answered questions about powers and place value, rates, scale drawings and nets.
The tasks were professionally documented by a film crew, providing a unique behind-the-scenes view of their collaboration and thinking.
Balderman said this experience was once-in-a-lifetime for these students.
“It was inspiring to witness them immerse themselves in the world of math throughout the filming process,” she said. “I can’t wait to see the finished product and use this curriculum with our future students.”