The SAT is a daunting task and a part of nearly two million high school students’ academic experiences every year. Especially at an educationally competitive school like Westford Academy, the SAT is a challenge that consumes the minds of a large portion of the student populace.
Preparation for the test will be made more accessible by an upcoming SAT boot camp, started by junior Andrew Sperry ,as part of his Eagle Scout service project, which will begin on March 25, and take place every subsequent Tuesday from 2:00-3:30 p.m. until April 22, including a session just for questions and check-ins during April vacation.
The goal of this initiative is to help students achieve the grade that they want to earn on the SAT, one of the most impactful tests a high school student can take that is seen by colleges as a way to assess a student. Andrew Sperry was inspired to organize the tutoring sessions for his service project after scoring an 800, a perfect score, on the math section of the test, despite the undertaking being relatively unorthodox for an Eagle Scout project. Usually Eagle Scout projects consist of constructing a physical project like a bench, table or shed.
Under the Boy Scouts of America, the Eagle Scout service project is a rite of passage that is necessary to achieve the highest rank in the structure of the program. The goal of the project is to encourage scouts to give back to the community and provide them with an opportunity to show their leadership abilities, a key part of being an Eagle Scout.
“This is the first time that I’m actually running a full project by myself. But you do get a lot of experience with leadership and running projects and planning in the path of Boy Scouts. I’ve been doing scouting since I was in the first grade. I’m kind of in a unique situation where I’m not building something like most people do,” Andrew Sperry said. “This is the final step of demonstrating all that I’ve learned by being able to execute this project.”
The boot camp, run primarily by Andrew Sperry, also has some volunteering student instructors, including juniors Catherine Sperry, AJ Sageman, Eesha Gowda, Jacob Blacksburg, Krish Parmar, Sabah Chatiwala, Srikar Naviduri, Akshaj Ghanta, Saachi Rao, and Srivas Arun.
“I think that the SAT Math Bootcamp is a unique opportunity for students to get accustomed to the different aspects of the SAT math section, in a way that is interactive and engaging,” Catherine Sperry said. “Andrew is working hard to prepare kids for the exam, and he is dedicated to passing on his knowledge of the exam to help others. I am excited to be an instructor and help out.”
The boot camp is meant to aid students studying for the upcoming SAT in April, though the invite is open for students studying for SATs farther in the future, or even the PSAT. Although the boot camp is open to all students who want a deeper understanding of the test material, it will primarily focus on the math section of the test.
“In the hour and a half block that we have after school, there’s going to be three half hour segments and each [segment] is going to be focused on a different piece of material,” Andrew Sperry said. “[We’ll start with] 10 minutes of presentation [followed by] a couple group practice problems. Then, for the other 20 minutes of that block, we’ll go into small groups where one instructor will be with a couple of kids, so they can take the material that I prepared for them and give each group their own personalized help.”
According to Andrew Sperry, students should take the test at least twice because of the SAT superscoring system where some colleges will only consider a student’s best score in each section of the test, adding to the importance of effectively studying and being prepared for taking the test. Overall, Andrew Sperry is seeking to help students prep for the SAT, even if that means pursuing resources outside of the boot camp.
“My advice would be that there’s a lot of resources that you can get just on YouTube,” Andrew Sperry said. “There’s a lot of things that I’ve learned just by watching YouTube videos and looking for free resources online that you can find the same information as in some paid classes, so really use your resources.”
