Dear Mr. Keating,

             I have discussed with a number of students about their need for Calculus as a prerequisite for their post-graduate studies. We all agree that a student’s success depends on a teacher’s ability to teach. As students in twelfth grade, we greatly respect and appreciate Mr. Westerhof’s dedication towards teaching and we are aware that he is only teaching Calculus during second period of next semester. As expected, Mr. Westerhof’s second period calculus class is full. For all of us, this is our final and most critical semester in high school. Our admission into university depends on our grades in this final upcoming semester and we desperately require a teacher who is highly skilled and capable of teaching the course material in Calculus and Vectors. This has come to our attention, due to the high volume of students placed on the waiting list hoping to transfer out of period the 4 Calculus class, which is no surprise since Westerhof is not the assigned teacher for that period.

As we all know, Innisdale’s student population has significantly increased due to the closing of Barrie Central Collegiate, and we think it is unfortunate that there is insufficient space for more students to enter his class. Calculus is a difficult course and requires a skilled teacher, such as Mr. Westerhof. There are many students who have been placed on the waiting list with high hopes to attain a spot in his second period Calculus class. We think the needs of us senior students should be prioritised. We are also aware that Mr. Westerhof is teaching a tenth grade math class, and we know for a fact that there are many other highly qualified teachers capable of teaching a grade 10 math class. Therefore, it is evident that Mr. Westerhof’s skills and methods of teaching are necessary for our success in 12 university Calculus and Vectors. The grade 12 students who have signed this petition agree that it is necessary for Mr. Westerhof to teach a second Calculus class.