MP Mathematics Department

  • The only Department that really counts!

    The mission of the Mountain Pointe Mathematics Department is to provide students with the mathematical and critical-thinking skills needed to excel in today’s diverse society. We are committed to making mathematics purposeful for students by offering a rigorous and relevant curriculum, and we believe in utilizing appropriate technology to enhance understanding. We are committed to professional development based on educational research to provide effective and thoughtful teaching practices.
     
    The Mountain Pointe Mathematics Department goes to great lengths to provide the finest learning environment for its students. In conjunction with the Maricopa County Community College District, we have been able to offer college credit to our high school students taking our higher-level classes during the normal school day. This allows many of our students to graduate high school with a college transcript as well as a high school diploma. Under the direction of principal Bruce Kipper and department chair Dan Ray, Mountain Pointe boasts of one of the finest math departments in the state of Arizona.

Why Mountain Pointe Mathematics?

  • The curriculum offered in mathematics is the best in the state of Arizona.

    We offer:

    • 3 AP courses
    • 9 courses for honors credit
    • 9 courses for community college concurrent credit 
    • Honors Computer Programming
    • Courses designed to help students pass the AIMS test that count towards the graduation requirement of 4 credits
    • The Rigor & Relevance necessary to be successful in every course taken.

    Mathematics Teachers at Mountain Pointe:
    Hands down, the mathematics teachers at Mountain Pointe High School are the best the Tempe Union High School District has to offer. There are currently 18 teachers in the department who are dedicated to their student’s success. 80% of the teachers have Master’s degrees or above and the remaining teachers are in the process of completing their advanced degree. 70% of our teachers are qualified to teach mathematics courses at the community college. We believe mathematics needs to be relevant to the real world as well as fun!

    Did you know...
    By getting one year ahead in math any student can take AP Calculus or AP Statistics their senior year at Mountain Pointe?

MP Mathematics Contact

  • Jack Vermeer
    Mathematics Department Chair
    480-759-8449 ext. 50165

MPHS Staff Directory

Department Highlights

  • The Mu Alpha Theta National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society was founded in 1957 by Dr. Richard V. Andree and his wife, Josephine Andree, at the University of Oklahoma. In Andree's words, Mu Alpha Theta is "an organization dedicated to promoting scholarship in mathematics and establishing math as an integral part of high school and junior college education". The name Mu Alpha Theta was constructed from the Greek lettering for the phonemes m, a, and th. Mountain Pointe High School is proud to have their own chapter of Mu Alpha Theta. See Mr. Ray for further information. 

    Math League: Mountain Pointe High School participates in the Math League Competitions. Math League's High School Contests are the best in high school mathematics competition. Students in each league compete for the highest scores, while schools compete for the highest team score: the total of the top 5 scores in each school. These contests consist of 6 High School Contests each year, with 6 questions per contest. There are 6 score reports per year for each league, showing each participating school's team scores, high scoring schools and students, and students with a perfect score. Each score report is accompanied by a newsletter, which includes comments and alternate solutions from teachers and students. All high school students in accredited schools are welcome to compete. Problems draw from a wide range of high school topics: geometry, algebra, trigonometry, logarithms, series, sequences, exponents, roots, integers, real numbers, combinations, probability, coordinate geometry, and more. No knowledge of calculus is required to solve any of these problems. Detailed solution sheets demonstrate the methods used to solve each problem, including various approaches where appropriate. Working through these problems and our contest problem books is excellent practice for the SAT and college-bound students.