The Thacher School | Mathematics

The Mathematics Department features small classes where discussion, written problem-solving, and individual and collaborative work are all emphasized as students master new concepts.

Our faculty is committed to offering courses at a variety of levels, ensuring every student is appropriately engaged, stimulated, and, above all, genuinely challenged.

Our Approach

Our courses feature a diverse range of topics of advanced coursework matter, including computer science courses, and follow a spiral curriculum where students revisit topics again and again with increasing sophistication. Students also regularly use technology to gain deeper insights into the mathematical relationships they’re studying.

Our Courses

The Ninth Grade Program
What better way to cement math skills and see how they help explain the world around us than by integrating mathematics with physics? Thacher’s science and math teachers have coordinated the ninth grade program so that the language, skills and applications across both disciplines are coordinated throughout the year. The entire ninth grade class engages in a lab all at once several times a year. Yes, a giant double-period lab in the gym with everyone: fun, learning, and practical applications at the same time. The experience creates truly memorable learning.

Sophomore Through Senior Years
We believe that it’s critical to teach strong foundational concepts while continuously incorporating cutting-edge offerings, including programming, computer science, and robotics, into our curriculum. Our Math Department features honors calculus and statistics, for example. We offer Calculus at three different levels, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra for students who are prepared and want to pursue mathematics at college levels. As students work their way through Thacher’s program, our math faculty members are regularly available outside of class for individual instruction and reinforcement of learning.

Programming and Robotics

Computer programming and robotics classes and club activities complement each other well, challenging students to take the programming languages they’ve learned—including Java, Python, Ajax, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and others—and explore their practical uses as they code and control NAO humanoid and LEGO Mindstorms robots or develop their own web applications.

A one-trimester introductory programming course allows any student to gain a foundation in computer programming. AP Computer Science and advanced courses in robotics, data structures, and programming focus on complex, interdisciplinary concepts and often emphasize independent projects that students develop themselves—from a custom-built scheduler that reconciles schedule conflicts among students to a web-based alternative grading system for the School—that often have specific, practical uses in our own community. Above all, students integrate engineering, art, design, and mathematics, transforming their relationship to each field in the process.

Math Requirement

It is expected that every entering ninth grader will have completed a comprehensive Algebra 1 course that includes quadratics.

Students enrolling who have only taken Pre-Algebra (Math 8 or equivalent) or Basic First Year Algebra (Math 1 or equivalent, which does not include extensive study of rational expressions, irrational numbers, and quadratic equations) will need to cover the required material in the spring or summer.

- Josh

“No matter where and when I spent time with Mr. Meyer, whether in a van heading to a mathematics competition, in a computer science class, or in his cozy living room, he has always been both supportive and inspiring. More than just a teacher, he has been a mentor and friend to me.”

Seoul, South Korea

Academics at Thacher

Math Department Faculty

List of 8 members.

Ms. Gallia Vickery

Mathematics Teacher

Princeton University - AB

Bio
An experienced teacher of AP Calculus and a reader of AP exams, Gallia has taught all levels of mathematics, including a post-AP course that introduces students to the geometry of space and prepares them for multivariable calculus studies. Gallia loves the patterns in mathematics and approaches much of her teaching with both graphical and algebraic methods. Some of her favorite topics to teach include modeling with trigonometric functions and polar graphing. Gallia also brings a lifelong passion for dance to her work at Thacher. She began training in classical ballet as a child and danced with the Cleveland Ballet before attending Princeton, where she fell in love with modern dance and musical theater. She has built the dance program to include technique classes in ballet and modern dance to support a student repertory company. Music is the driving force behind her work as both the inspiration and the basis of her choreographic plan. She brings dance and mathematics together in the creation of abstract, yet expressive, works that use patterns and canons to follow the textures she finds in the music. Before Thacher, she taught dance and mathematics at the Purnell School in Pottersville, New Jersey. Mother of two grown daughters, Gallia lives on campus with her husband Bill.
Ms. Charlotte Humes

Mathematics Department--Instructor

Bio
Ms. Charlotte Humes teaches Math IIH and Math IIIH. She is a world traveler, having served in the Peace Corps and taught in international schools including King’s Academy in Jordan.
Mr. Todd Meyer
Mr. Tyler Ortiz

Mathematics Teacher
Dr. Kamala Qalandar

Mathematics and Science Departments, Director of Programs for Technology and Innovation

University of California, Santa Barbara - BA
University of California, Santa Barbara - PhD

Bio
Kamala teaches math, science, and programming classes at Thacher. She is the recipient of a bachelor’s and a doctorate degree from UCSB, where she conducted research on designing energy efficient microsystems to replace current technologies. She’s excited to not only be sharing her love of mathematics with Thacher students, but also to be introducing them to the fundamentals of programming and robotics. In 2006 she “retired from city life” and relocated to Ojai with her two sons in order to raise them in a more natural and peaceful environment.
Mr. Gary Roth

Cornell University - B.A. '74; M.A.T. '75
University of Oregon - M.A.

Bio
Mr. Gary Roth is a math instructor, teaching multivariable calculus, Math IVH and Math III. He joins Thacher after many years at The Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey. He lives on campus with his wife and adorable dog, Hagrid.
Dr. Jonathan Swift

Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy Teacher and Director of the Thacher Observatory

University of California, Berkeley - PhD
University of California, Los Angeles - BS

Bio
Jon was born in New York, but grew up surfing and playing sports in North County, San Diego. His first loves are poetry and music. However, Jon’s fascination with the natural world led him to the intellectual frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics, where he has published his research in several areas of specialization, including cosmology, star formation, exoplanets, and astronomical instrumentation. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA with a BS in physics, and earned an MA and a PhD in astronomy & astrophysics from UC Berkeley. At Thacher, Jon redesigned and renovated the campus observatory which now includes a fully automated, research-grade telescope. In addition to directing the observatory and maintaining a vibrant research program where students are able to participate in relevant astronomical research, Jon teaches astronomy, physics, mathematics, and data science. Outside the classroom, Jon runs the winter camping program. Jon lives on the Thacher campus with his wife Gloria, daughter Annika, and son Ansel.
Mr. Nathan Vish

Mathematics Teacher