Thinking on Their Feet

Students woke up refreshed after a busy evening Monday, ready to begin what promises to be one of the fullest days yet of the 2021 New England High School Summer program. After morning Mass and a quick breakfast, everyone gathered in the classroom for their first day of presenting Euclid propositions! Today the sections focused first on constructing an equilateral triangle, and then on two props cutting straight lines equal to one another.

“We demonstrated all three props, and in addition to that, we challenged the students to construct on a given finite straight line not only an equilateral triangle but also an isosceles and a scalene triangle,” explains Dr. Josef Froula, one of the tutors on the program. “And they were successful in that pursuit. … We actually constructed three figures that Euclid doesn’t construct, and we did it spontaneously. The students did not know we were going to do this ahead of time, and they were able to figure this out and think on their feet, so it was a very successful class.”

Midday Mass and lunch followed in Gould Commons, and instead of the usual afternoon class, programmers are now headed down to the Connecticut River for an afternoon of kayaking. There are also plans for a drive-in movie later this evening, so be sure to check back first thing tomorrow for photos and a full report!