Sophomore Wyat Butler’s favorite class is one that many students try to avoid.

Ever since elementary school, Wyat has had a particular interest in all things math. Dating back to the notorious addition worksheets students had to complete in a certain amount of time, Wyat has always been fond of the competition.

“I remember in elementary school seeing someone do addition really fast and them trying to finish one of those worksheets in the allotted time,” Wyat said. “I wanted to try and do that. I viewed math as some kind of competition, so I tried really hard and eventually got the hang of it.”

His admiration for math throughout his life has not only allowed him to excel in school, but math has also led him in many different directions.

Next year, Wyat will not be attending FHC.

This fall, Wyat will be walking through the doors of the West Michigan Aviation Academy. This high school known for being a STEM-based school has worked its way to the top of Wyat’s list. Due to the lack of STEM-based classes at FHC, he is looking forward to his future endeavors in his new school.

“[WMAA] is a very stem-based school,” Wyat said. “I was looking at class options here, and they don’t offer too many. I wanted to try an electrical class or some sort of class where you work with wires or batteries or something along the lines of that. I decided to switch just because they do not have any of those opportunities here.”

An electrical class is just what Wyat was looking for. With the hopes of one day becoming an electrical engineer, those kinds of classes are crucial. Within the engineering realm, Wyat has also become extremely fond of the coding aspect of math—classes which WMAA also take very seriously.

Being able to create anything from everyday technology to new inventions highly intrigues Wyat. Through his adoration of math, he has found all of his hobbies he partakes in on a daily basis. 

When Wyat began making the decision to transfer schools, his parents were immediately on board. The idea of going to a project-based school excited not only him, but his family as well.

“[WMAA] is very project-based, and students are faced with real-world problems,” Wyat said. “It is not like you have a scheduled test on Friday and have to do a ton of review for it. At WMAA, it is more of the students deciding what they want to do and what you want to make.”

Wyat’s new school offers an abundance of engineering and coding classes—both of which he is extremely excited to begin. Because of how the school and curriculum are set up, Wyat will have a lot of freedom to create new and exciting projects and grow in his affinity for all things math.

While math has always been a class Wyat is interested in, his interest in engineering and coding did not take off until the world got shut down.

With little to do and a lot of time to spare, Wyat looked to new hobbies to participate in, simply to fill up time. Eventually, he came across videos of coding and was instantly captured by the idea of it.

“Electrical engineering seems like [a career] I would definitely like to go into,” Wyat said. “Probably something with coding just because it is super similar to math and it really interests me.”