Math instructor Erin Deenihan turned her students into historians for a FST extra credit opportunity.

Students enrolled in Deenihan’s FST class second semester have the option of learning about different mathematicians for extra credit.

“I don’t like giving out free points,” Deenihan said. “So, they get to take the time to learn about a mathematician that they are unaware of, some of their history and contributions to the math field, and then create a poster based on them.”

Students received the assignment the week before Spring Break and have until the first test after Spring Break to complete and turn in the assignment.

“I had a very bare wall and I needed to fill it,” Deenihan said. “So, I figured, why buy posters when I can make the kids make them for me.”

This is only the second year Deenihan has assigned the project, but she made some changes to the assignment this year. After getting seven Pythagoras posters last year, she is making sure no one does the same person and students sign up for the mathematician they want.

“The most interesting (thing I learned) is not necessarily the content on the poster but seeing some of my kids realizing they were more artistic than I thought they were, or the opposite of that,” Deenihan said.

19rporter@usd489.com