AP Calculus BC, taught by James Kirpes, is one of the most rigorous math courses offered at West High. Each afternoon, students head home with packets of homework and review for quizzes and tests, which Kirpes calls ‘shindigs’ and ‘parties’. On Fridays, he starts the period with an enthusiastic “Happy Friday!” It’s a phrase that brings smiles to the classes full of academically inclined students from every grade. All of these little quirks help to create a positive learning environment for the students who agree that Mr. Kirpes is a dedicated teacher and certified math lover.
However, Friday, Oct. 10 was different: Kirpes wasn’t in class. Instead, Skylar Ajax ’27, Yasha Durnev ’27, Eddie El-Fadil ’27 and Aydan Thomas ’27 were up in the front, ready to start lectures about “The Rates of Change in the Natural and Social Sciences.” For the two days of Kirpes’s absence, these four guided the class through notes on derivatives of logarithms and applying math to physics. When the familiar “Happy Friday!” came from student presenter El-Fadil’s mouth, it instantly brightened the classroom mood.
When asked about how he got the opportunity to be a student presenter, El-Fadil said, “Honestly, Mr. Kirpes just asked if anyone was willing to fill in for him while he was gone, and half-joking, I accepted the opportunity.”…