The number of eighth graders coming to CHS to take a math class has increased over the years. This year, 19 students are here, and, according to counselor Linda Skafish, that number is expected to rise next year.
Skafish said that the head counseling department for the school district won’t announce a definite number of such students until next spring.

“I wouldn’t be surprised by it,” Skafish said. “We have lots of kids who come to the Carmel Clay Schools who are very talented.”

Last year, now-freshman Swetha Nakshatri came to the high school as an eighth grader to take honors Algebra II and honors Biology I. She said that she has noticed the trend of more middle school students here and believes the cause lies with students’ parents.

“Parents are becoming more aware,” Nakshatri said. “I know my parents didn’t know anything about (taking classes at CHS), but now that they do, they’re going to push my younger sister into getting into one.”

Currently, the most advanced math class offered at the middle schools is tenth-grade level math. Students who are at a higher level must come here for classes.

Math teacher Megan Cogswell, who teaches the eighth graders who come here to take honors Algebra II, said that the rising number of students could be attributed to a push in fifth grade to allow more students to begin taking higher level math classes.

“We’re offering more opportunities at the fifth grade level (to skip to higher levels of math),” Cogswell said.

By the time these advanced math students come to eighth grade, the math classes on their level are only offered at the high school.

Eighth-grader Drew Seketa, who currently comes here to take advanced math classes, said the opportunity comes with a few setbacks. He said that the eighth graders’ adjusted schedules can draw negative attention.

“You almost feel like people are staring at you like, ‘Look at those nerds. Oh. Losers,’” Seketa said.

Nakshatri said that people don’t think of the eighth graders as such. She is in the same honors pre-calculus class as eighth-grader Anthony Ji, who skipped four grades of math, and she said that people in the class accept Ji.

“At the beginning, people were like, ‘Oh my gosh. There’s an eighth grader in our class,’ but now he’s just like another person (in our class),” Nakshatri said. “I don’t think age really matters in a class.”

Ji said he agreed with Nakshatri.

“Other students view me as a peer and not as a weird, smart kid,” Ji said.

Cogswell said she believes it’s understandable that the eighth graders would feel uncomfortable about coming here to take math classes.

“It’s intimidating coming to the high school with all these older students, but I think that (the eighth graders) are treated well and I think they are accepted,” Cogswell said.

Despite his complaints, Seketa said overall, he felt good about coming here for math classes.

“I think it’s the right math course for me to be taking,” Seketa said.

Cogswell said she felt good about teaching eighth graders and looks forward to continuing to do so with more students in the future.

“(The eighth graders) are where they belong, and they’re really awesome math students,” Cogswell said.