Through the NPS Creative Arts and Sciences Program, the Oak Hill Middle School PTO is again sponsoring the Engineers Teaching Algebra program to supplement classroom learning.  Mark Love, an engineer with international experience in highway design and transportation planning, will visit Oak Hill 7th-grade math classes in early April to help students understand “Why do we have to take algebra?…When are we ever going to use it in real life!?!?”  The program that Mark has created teaches students the practical application of the algebra concepts they are learning.  Focusing on the example of a traffic-jammed intersection, students use algebra to improve traffic flow.  They use fractions, ratios, and percentages to balance traffic volume against green-light time and to verify or refute hypotheses.  Former students report that it’s a very memorable and vivid first glimpse of a career path in STEM.