Students at Ironton High School are learning geometry in new ways, and everyone can see the results.

Wednesday, January 17, 2001

Students at Ironton High School are learning geometry in new ways, and everyone can see the results.

The students have made flags using tessellations, geometric figures with reoccurring patterns. The results are flags decorated with daisies, frogs and puzzle shapes in camouflage, blue and yellow and American flag material.

"You can tell that the students worked hard on them, " said Nichole Hicks, a math teacher at Ironton High School. "They are all unique and special."

The concept was introduced by Hicks and another math teacher, Mary Jane Handley.

"We’ve done projects for a long time," said Handley. "We are constantly looking for ideas for new projects."

The two women put the project into practice with the help from two seniors, Mark Mains and Mariah Bently.

Then the teachers presented it to their sophomore geometry students. The students each made a poster using the tessellation shapes, which they were graded on. Then they were pared off to make a flag out of the poster that they liked best for a second grade.

"We were pleased by how they turned out," Handley said. "This was a chance for the students to be creative and artistic. They were all very creative."