Bobcat Stories

Wednesday, August 13, was the first day of Bosque School’s 31st year, and the whole community gathered in Sanchez Park, light filtering through the newly trimmed cottonwood trees as Dr. Barrie took the podium. The classes of 2026 and 2032, seniors and sixth graders, got special acknowledgement, as did new division leaders Jeff Snyder and Chip Miller.  

Dr. Barrie’s remarks honored Bosque School’s founding head, Dr. Gary Gruber, who passed away this summer. She held a stuffed giraffe in her arms, as a reminder of when school founder Peggie Ann Findlay carried one to the airport in 1994 to meet Dr. Gruber, an embodiment of the invitation to “stick his neck out” to take on the huge challenge of starting a new school. Dr. Gruber’s belief in the power of education and his ability to connect with others and see the potential in everyone to do better were inspiring then, and are still the foundation of our school’s mission and values.  

After Dr. Barrie rang the bell to officially start the new school year—the very same bell that opened the first day of Bosque School in 1995—recent Bosque graduate Macy sang Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” Then the eighth-grade leaders, Sawyer and Mikahe, took the stage to welcome new and returning Bobcats with a joke: “Why did the student eat his homework?  Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake!” They then encouraged everyone to make new friends, trust one another, and appreciate all that Bosque School offers. Senior student government leaders Marcus and Em reflected on how strong our community is and how lucky we are to be here together. They reminded us that time is limited, so take the time this year to savor all the things you can do here at school.  

Then it was time for another first-day tradition: the Opening Day Math Problem. In every math class, from sixth through twelfth grade, students enjoyed a humorous video created by teacher Spencer Baum, which introduced a tricky problem involving cows, fields, and bridges, along with a number of constraints in how the problem could be solved. In Mr. Baum’s first block, seventh graders sought as many solutions as possible, using creativity and flexibility as they deduced “what can’t be” and “what must be” as they worked out solutions on the board in small groups. Mr. Baum emphasized that students often believe there is one right answer or method, and so problems like this show that “guess and check” is a great approach with which to begin.  

At the end of the day, T.J. Middleton’s Calculus 2 students began with the same problem, but their more experienced minds soon started wondering about more sophisticated questions, including the distinction between rotations or reflections of the numbers versus independent solutions.  Mr. Middleton said that what distinguishes these advanced students is the way they organize their thinking, using strategies that simplify the expression of the solutions and also track the patterns and trends they discover.

Dr. Gruber would have been proud of these math students and their dedicated teachers, as they brought to life his vision of inquiry, community, and innovation. During her convocation address earlier, Dr.  Barrie shared with us that Dr. Gruber believed that Bosque School was unique in its energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. The many visitors to the math classes on opening day would surely agree with him.