Why did the obtuse angle go to the beach? Because it was over 90 degrees!

If you love geometry jokes, the Watkins Mill Geometry Fair is the place to be.

Geometry students attended the first ever Watkins Mill Geometry Fair on March 9. At the event, students determined the volume of spheres, pyramids, prisms, cylinders, and cones, using tape measures, rulers, and strings.

The assignment of the students was to find the volume of real-life objects such as disinfecting wipes, soccer balls and coffee cans. The idea for the fair came from geometry teacher Stephen Burrows. “We did this at Gaithersburg [High School] about ten years ago and it was a success,” Burrows said.

Students got one period to find the volume of ten objects and record it in their packets. There was a makeup session on March 13th in the math department office for absent students. The project is a Middle Years Programme grade and an all task and assessment grade worth 20 points.

“[The fair was] better than just sitting down in class and doing work on paper,” freshman Anis Gribi said. “We are actually getting to stand up and [calculate the volume] of real objects.” Students also got the chance to work with other geometry students who are not in their class periods.

The fair was done right before the geometry Required Quarterly Assessment. It was intended to help students review and solidify their understanding on concepts of volume and area. “[The fair] was confusing but it was also worth it. I did [well] on the RQA. [The fair] actually helped me with it,” freshman Rosie Williams said.

Geometry students from Montgomery Village Middle School also attend the fair. “I think it is very cool they let geometry students from the middle school come,” eighth grader Bethany Hurt said. “It [was] a fun time getting to know some of the highschoolers a bit better and to be comfortable with the school.”

Many students said they definitely would recommend the fair to next year’s geometry students, Burrows hopes to make it a yearly event.

“I would take my students next year, and the goal for next year is to have a little more funding,” math teacher Adam Ritchie said, “so that we can reward students for their hard work with some sort of snow cone… but only if they can find the volume of it!”