CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) precalculus students traveled on March 20 to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain to apply some of the trigonometric functions and formulas learned in class.

Precalculus teacher Dave Koenig prepared them for the project by teaching them how to use the transit, a basic piece of surveying equipment.

From the top of Sugarloaf, the students used a transit to collect data about the surrounding mountains. By merging their data with additional data collected from a nearby peak, the students used triangulation to calculate the location and elevation of all the peaks surrounding Sugarloaf.

Back in the classroom they will create full-scale maps of the area.

“This hands-on real-life setting really allows the students to learn the material effectively.” said Koenig, “And it also gives them a greater knowledge and appreciation of this beautiful area they have been living in for the past seven months.”

CVA began operations in 1969 to help racers and freestylers sharpen their skills for competitive skiing. In the winter of 1982-83, CVA opened its doors as a five-month winter-term tutorial program. For more information, visit www.goCVA.com