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NOC Math Student Completes Summer Internship

Northern Oklahoma College Math Major Ethan Fields recently completed a summer internship with Sherwood Forest.

Sherwood Forest is a month-long camp in Lesterville, Missouri, which serves low-income families and single-parent households from inner city St. Louis area.

Fields, an NOC math major, said, “My primary duties are to counsel the children at the camp and help them better understand the basic applications for math in everyday life.”

The internship has benefited Fields in understanding how to relate math concepts in a way the campers will understand. He has also learned new skills in motivating children when they do not want to take part in an activity and techniques to keep them involved.

Fields prefers the teaching side over the counseling side of his duties. He said, “I get to choose the course materials and present it in a way that I think would be best, as well as getting to choose the things that I find most interesting.”

Sherwood Forest has been serving underprivileged children since 1937. Fields served in the Quest Program—a year-round program for 3rd-7th graders that begins with the camping experience and continues with school-year components to promote individual growth, positive relationships, and active learning experiences.

“Ethan is an intelligent young man who is excited about the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field, which has been an awesome thing to have on our staff,” said Amanda Westall, camp Program Manager.

Lynn DeMuth, NOC Math Faculty member, said, “Ethan is an extremely intelligent young man who also has the ability to pass his knowledge to others effectively. This combination of talents is hard to find. He has worked as a Math tutor for NOC and had some private tutoring jobs. It is exciting to have him as a prospective math teacher, since this is a field where the demand is so great.”

Fields, a 2016 Ponca City High School graduate, came to NOC on a soccer scholarship. He plans to pursue a bachelors, masters, and doctorate degree in mathematics.