Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Parks Math Walk topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Big Walnut Middle School proposes permanent 'math walk' signs on Sunbury trails
Summary
Alicia Sleeper, a Big Walnut Middle School math teacher, updated the Sunbury Parks and Recreation Committee on plans for a permanent math-walk installation of up to 10 signs on trails behind GRE, seeking sponsors and planning a student-led service-day installation on May 9.
Alicia Sleeper, a math teacher at Big Walnut Middle School, told the Sunbury City Parks and Recreation Committee on Jan. 8 that students plan to install up to 10 permanent “math walk” stands along the trails behind GRE and asked the committee for input on siting and support.
Sleeper said she and city staff — including Jacob, a service supervisor, and Alyssa, a parks staff member — walked the trails to mark proposed locations and avoid curbs and maintenance access. “So instead of creating, like, a treasure hunt, you can just as you pass them, you're gonna see any random math problem,” Sleeper said, describing how the stands will be encountered in any order by trail users.
The project timeline calls for a student service day on May 9 to install the stands if funding is secured. Sleeper said she has drafted solicitation letters to local businesses and will begin fundraising; if sponsors fund only part of the project, she said the school will start with the number of stands paid for and add more over time. “Ultimately, I'd love to have 10 if we can get enough money to fund 10,” she said.
Sleeper said the stands are intended to be permanent and changed annually by students during service day; she also asked the committee for volunteers to serve as judges for student project selections. Committee members offered general encouragement and asked about who had approved the proposed locations; Sleeper said Jacob and Alyssa agreed on the spots and that the school will work “very closely with the city” to place stands to avoid interfering with maintenance machinery.
No formal vote or permit decision on the math-walk installation was recorded at the Jan. 8 meeting. Committee members did not set any funding commitments; Sleeper indicated fundraising and a project timeline are next steps.
The presentation took place during the visitors portion of the Jan. 8 meeting; committee members asked logistical questions about routing, number and permanence of signs, and how students would maintain them each year. The project will return for further coordination between the school and city staff as fundraising and design proceed.
