Hyde School, Roxanna Kerns
St. Joseph, Missouri History Math Trails
Our city is located on river bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. Our city is rich in history from the Pony Express to Jesse James. St. Joseph has seen many historic moments and has a future filled with promise as we continue to grow and develop. Our town is on the Lewis and Clark scenic tour as they once stopped here and camped on the Missouri banks. In 1826 Joseph Robidoux established St. Joseph's an early Indian trading post. St. Joseph was a starting point for many courageous men and women heading west to the Gold Rush of California. In 1860 the Pony Express was established as daring men traveled to the western frontier to deliver mail. Our history also includes outlaws, as St. Joseph was the home to the outlaw Jesse James who robbed many banks and trains in his day. He eventually met his demise in 1882 but, his home is still standing and you can actually see the bullet hole in the wall of the house. St. Joseph is rich in history with Victorian homes and schools that date back 100 years and more. Our School, Hyde, will be celebrating 100 years of educating students this year. Hyde is located in the south end of the city. Our south end pride is even greater than our city pride. Many people who live in our area of town are people who claim there is nowhere on earth more friendly, wholesome or proud. I have to agree as much of my own heritage is tied to the south end.
As proud as we are of the past we also know that in order for our city to continue to strive we need to stay focused on the future. We need to promote our town not only for its past but also the possibilities for the future. As new companies look to our town for expansion we need to show them that St. Joseph boasts of schools that may have old buildings but are filled with technology to meet today's needs. Also, that housing in our area is on the upswing while the cost of living remains much lower than our neighbor to the south (Kansas City, Missouri). We must promote our history but show newcomers to our area that St. Joseph provides the kind of life that will attract new families and businesses to the area. The benefits of this will impact all areas of industry, commercial sales, retail, and city services because as our city thrives so then does the economic impact. Our job then is to bring visitors to the area with our history and then show them a town that is so appealing they will not want to leave. They then will be proud to call St. Joseph their home, too.
Math Problems:
1.
The operating cost for the Jesse James Home Museum is $24,000 per year.
The cost for tickets to the museum is $2 for adults and $1.50 for students.
If fifty percent of the operating cost is paid for by adult ticket sales, how
many adult tickets are sold in a year?
HINT:
Find out how much of the operating cost is from ticket sales, you need to divide
to do this. Then you will divide that amount by the cost of the adult
ticket sales. See if you can do this as mental math.
Jesse James' Home
2.
During the Pony Express riders' time, the cost of leaving your horse at
the stable overnight was 5 cents. If
a rider left his horse at the stable for an average of three nights a week, how
much was his stable bill for an entire year?
If his income for a week was $2.00 what was his income for the year after
paying his livery stable bill?
HINT: There are 52 weeks in a year.
3.
Hyde School is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year,
2001, as it first opened at this site in 1901.
If the average number of students per year was 375, and the average
number of teachers per year was 25. How
many teachers and students have walked down the halls in the last 100 years?
HINT: This is a two-step operation.
First add then multiply.
4.
The shortest run for any Pony Express rider was 7 days.
The destination of Sacramento, California is nearly 2,000 miles away.
Find an average of how many miles the rider would have had to travel in a
day. Then chart your path and the
possible stopping points on a US map.
HINT: The riders usually choose a straight path, as it was the quickest. The operation here is to divide.
NCTM Standards Correlation: Number and Operations, Problem Solving