Along with many educational and recreational programs offered at FCSN, the organization has recently introduced its own Math Fun-damentals program. Math Fun-damentals, which launched in 2021, is an online tutoring class in which children with special needs can learn the basics of algebra and other varying topics. The program is sectioned into 10 lessons within 10 weeks, with each week covering a new math topic ranging from basic operations to fractions, decimals, and percentages. However, unlike a traditional math class, Math Fun-damentals is centered around fun activities and light-hearted learning strategies such as math-related games to reinforce the math materials learned within each course. Such activities include Kahoot games,  fun math competitions between friends, and engaging math videos at the end of class. 

This year, Math Fun-damentals is run by FCSN volunteers Ethan Lin and Brian Zhang, two sophomores from Granada High School. As the course continues, Ethan and Brian hope to include more changes to the curriculum and are excited to offer more advanced subjects beyond geometry and basic math through the class. “We not only want to keep some of the [math] basics, but we’re also trying to [introduce] some newer concepts like multiplication tables and number charts so that our students can learn a lot more and develop their skills,” Brian said. Ethan and Brian also hope to expand the class size in future sessions to try and implement more activities throughout their classes, such as creating breakout rooms for small-group activities. 

Even though the program has never been more successful, there are undoubtedly times, when Ethan and Brian have faced obstacles along the way, such as networking issues and keeping the students, focused through a computer screen. Nonetheless, the tutors have taken these issues as a way to learn and improve the program. After all, the rewarding feeling of helping their students develop their math knowledge trumps inconveniences. “I feel like students have really developed their knowledge, such as in certain topics where they were not 100% sure of or completely did not know. I feel like they’ve learned a lot more about not only the basics but more advanced concepts overall,” Brian said. 

As for the future, Ethan and Brian hope to expand Math Fun-damentals even more, both in size and content. For example, they plan to soon introduce number charts and multiplication tables to their class in order to keep challenging their students. “I hope to let [Math Fun-damentals] pass on through the generations, and for students to keep coming back, and to have more students as well,” Brian said.