3 minute read
In Memoriam
William “Billy” Poston III ‘99
August 31, 2022
Newton “Park” Hoey Jr ‘77
March 4, 2023
Class of 2022
Congratulations to University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill freshman, Kennon Acks, who was a member of the Carolina Cheerleading
Grace McKay Roakes ‘84
March 26, 2023
Carol Webb-Gargagliano Mathematics Chair, Upper School Mathematics Teacher
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What brought you to Charlotte Latin School?
How long have you been here?
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I was a young teacher ready to give up on the profession when my friend, Jeff Knull, encouraged me to check out Charlotte Latin. He told me that Ken Collins would be at this math conference in Charleston that I was attending. While I was there, I pretended to bump into Ken, and he says he pretended to bump into me, but however it happened, we connected about my coming to Latin. I soon interviewed with Dr. Fox and joined the faculty in 1995. Everyone acted like the school was so lucky to have me—families had me over for dinner, and colleagues and administrators welcomed me with open arms—but I always knew that I was the lucky one, and I can’t imagine having spent my career anywhere else. 2 3
What do you do at Charlotte Latin School?
I teach math in the Upper School at Charlotte Latin. I’ve taught just about everything from Algebra I to Calculus, and I’ve been the department chair since 2012.
Have you always loved math?
I would not say that math was my passion as a young student, though I always preferred doing math problems to writing papers. When I look back, I can recall a couple of teachers and a specific college professor who made a point of encouraging me to continue studying math, so maybe they saw something that I didn’t.
What’s changed in teaching math today compared to when you went to school?
Hand-held graphing calculators and easy access to computers changed everything about teaching math. When I was in school, one had to rely heavily on their imagination to visualize everything from function behavior to volumes of revolution. I can remember cutting pieces of paper and taping them to my pencil, and spinning it around to try to see what was going on in three dimensions. Now I press a button, and the students can see it clearly. I think technology has made higher-level mathematics accessible to a wider variety of students.
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What are you most excited about teaching?
I really love teaching Calculus. For me, that was when it felt like so many of the pieces came together. It all seems to flow so easily into the next idea, and I love being able to show that to students.
If you could have three people (dead or alive) join you for a dinner party, who would they be and why?
James Taylor because I have loved him and his music for as long as I can remember.
Leonhard Euler because he was such a prolific mathematician, and I’d love to hear him as a teacher.
My father because he was the kindest and strongest person I ever knew, and I miss him every day.
Why is math important to learn?
Math is important to learn for practical reasons if you are going into a field that requires math, but even if you won’t use higher-level math every day, most everyone needs to have problem-solving skills, and math is ultimately about solving problems. I also believe that there is a great deal of value in just learning for the joy of learning. Education is not just about life skills. Math, literature, science, art, history, music, language, all of it—it’s about expanding our minds and learning to think in different ways, and opening ourselves up to new things.
What’s your favorite movie, and why?
I don’t know if I have a favorite movie. I rarely watch the same movie twice, but I would watch just about anything with Robert De Niro, especially Godfather II.
What do you want people to know about you?
I want the people in my life to know how grateful I am for them. I am not an eloquent writer or speaker, so I never feel like I have conveyed my gratitude in a way that really expresses how deeply I feel it.
What can you do that others might not know about?
I can rap all 14 and a half minutes of “Rapper’s Delight” (or at least I used to be able to—I haven’t done it in a long time).
Saturday, April 29 | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. charlottelatin.org/mdpd
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