Pantexans help students ‘bee’lieve in math

A recent Pantex volunteer event wasn’t as easy as 1-2-3 because convincing students that math is a useful skill is difficult, but Pantexans Dee and Scott Weaver were up for the task. The couple led a team of Pantex employees to help about 40 students at the High Plains Children’s Home gain a better understanding of math. Other Pantexans on the team included Laureen Kelly, Tamara Schaef and Leticia Rodriguez. The Weaver’s grandsons, Weston and Ryder, also attended.

“Sometimes it is difficult for students to recognize how much math is used daily,” said Dee Weaver. “When you start looking, math is all around us.” To prove this point, Scott Weaver, a beekeeper, presented “Beekeeping by the Numbers.”

“The kids were fascinated by the information about bees,” Dee said. “It emphasized that math is found in nature in many different ways – from the shape of the honeycomb chambers to the distance a bee will fly to and from the hive.”

At the end of the day, the teams presented graphing calculators to three high school students. “The calculators will help them with their homework and help them stay up with their classmates,” Dee said. “It is one less hurdle they have to overcome to help them be successful in the higher‑level math classes.”