Dr. Keary Howard

Whichever way the numbers are added, future mathematics teachers at the State University of New York at Fredonia, as well as alumni and faculty, were among those who rose to the head of the class at the 67th annual conference of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS).

Highlights of the conference, held recently in Buffalo, included Dr. Keary Howard receiving the prestigious Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the association and two undergraduates – Valerie Andryshak, a senior from Middletown, and Emily Marsh, a senior from Sinclairville – winning AMTNYS scholarships. Four scholarships are awarded statewide.

Other members of the Fredonia contingent that included 24 students, six faculty members and nine alumni also made their mark at the conference.

SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Joseph Straight chaired two “Make It Take It Sessions,” held each day of the conference. Ready-to-use activities for grades Pre-K through middle school were created and presented by students currently enrolled in MAED 303 Math for School Teachers III, under the direction of Rebecca Conti.

The projects and the student presenters included:

¯ “Function Machines,” by Sarah Sweazy, a junior, majoring in childhood education with a mathematics concentration, from Henrietta; and Ayden Wickman, senior, childhood education — math, Sodus.

¯ “Campground Designer,” Ashley Marsh, senior, childhood education — math, from Jamestown; and Jacqueline Johnston, senior, childhood education — math, Grand Island.

¯ “Bounce into Statistics with Slime,” Sarah Wood, junior, mathematics/middle childhood education, from West Seneca; and Savannah Wells, junior, early childhood and childhood education — math, Buffalo.

¯ “Name It! Draw It! Build It!” Amanda Wellenc, junior, childhood education-Math Middle School Extension, from Cheektowaga; and Rebecca Lenseth, junior, early childhood education — math, West Sand Lake.

¯ “Glyphs Through the Grades,” Mikayla Capestrani, senior, early childhood and childhood education — math, from Jamestown; Tina Santucci, junior, childhood education — math middle school extension, Honeoye Falls; and Alyssa Jones, senior, childhood education — math, Akron.

¯ “Race to the Finish,” Julia Taboni, junior, early childhood and childhood education — math, from Depew; and Rebecca Radomski, senior, childhood education — math, Lewiston.

¯ “Data Bottle Challenge,” Sancheri Kennedy, senior, early childhood education — math, from Angola; and Gina Hall, senior, early childhood and childhood education — math, Cheektowaga.

¯ “Wrapping Paper and Tessellations,” Emily Nichols, senior, mathematics/middle childhood education, from Bemus Point; and Sarah McCann, senior, mathematics/middle childhood education, Hamburg.

Students from MAED 417/419 Middle/Secondary School Methods in Mathematics, under the direction of Drs. Teodora Cox and Howard, presented lesson plan ideas related to the conference theme, “Full STEAM Ahead.” The acronym STEAM, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.

The presentations and student presenters included:

¯ “The Art of Exponents,” by Sarah McCann, a senior, mathematics/middle childhood education major, from Hamburg; and Killeen Schmitz, senior, mathematics/adolescence education major, Ballston Spa.

¯ “Play Doh’ Fractions,” Kimberly Gage, senior, early and childhood education, from Silver Creek.

¯ “Math, Art, and Cartography,” Emily Nichols, senior, mathematics/middle childhood education, from Bemus Point; “Math, Art and Cartography.”

¯ “Math’s Unique Melody,” Christopher Kelley, senior, mathematics/adolescence education, from Westfield.

¯ “The Poetry of Probability,” Emily Marsh, senior, mathematics/adolescence education, from Sinclairville.

¯ “Mandala Math,” Valerie Andryshak, senior, mathematics/adolescence education, from Middletown.

SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Bob Rogers gave the featured address, “Students Hear the Darndest Things!” at the banquet.

Fredonia faculty at the conference included:

¯ Kimberly Conti and Dr. Cox, “Math Club in a Box.”

¯ Drs. Rogers, with Jamar Pickreign from SUNY Plattsburgh, “Share and Tell: Grades K-5” and “Share and Tell: Grades 6-9.”

¯ Dr. Straight, with Professor Emeritus Stephen West from SUNY Geneseo, “What’s My Similarity?”

Fredonia alumni making presentations included:

¯ Amanda Pacanowski from Fredonia Middle School, “Breaking Out of the Regular Routine.”

¯ Kristen Joseph from LeRoy High School, and Shannon Tydings from Greece Arcadia High School, “Statistics, the TI-Navigator, and Real-World Problems, Oh My!” and “Discovering Polynomials through TI Technology.”

¯ Lisa Stonefoot from Ripley Central School, “Creating Learning Centers that Support the Common Core Learning Standards.”

¯ Diana Seeley from Jasper-Troupsburg Central School, “Hershey’s Kiss Experiment.”

¯ Hannah Wawrowski from Lake Shore Central School, and Amanda Pacanowski, “Only 5 Devices? When am I Ever Going to Use This?”

¯ Holly Richardson from SS. Peter and Paul Catholic School, with Dr. Howard, “Stats Projects and Data Sets for the (All) Ages.”

¯ Shana Czekanski and Kimberly Loticki, M.S. Ed Literacy graduate students, “Integrating Literacy Skills into Mathematics Instruction.”

As editor of the New York State Mathematics Teachers’ Journal and Senior College Level Representative, Cox participated in meetings of the association’s Executive Board.

Fredonia undergraduates won the Dance Off competition, returning the coveted Dance Off trophy to its rightful spot back on campus in the department trophy case.