ST. ANTHONY - "It's kind of weird to learn all these new math systems because you don't really go to the store and if this is X and that's Y then I can get this, but you just don't think like that," says student Rebecca Hope.

For students at South Fremont High, Algebra 2 seems like something learned in the classroom and kept in the classroom.

"It's hard stuff that I can't imagine anyone using and all these huge long problems that take up three or four pages to do. It doesn't seem like you would use those when your planting your garden or shopping at Walmart," says student Jacob Christensen.

For some, finding the possible rational zeros of a polynomial function may never be efforted again, but learning it now is a good foundation if things ever change.

"I was never gonna be a math teacher," says math teacher Ron Lagerstrom. "I never liked math in high school and when I started taking it in college I fell in love with it and I want students to understand the beauty of math and how fun it can be."

Fun for learning didn't come early for Mr. Ron Lagerstrom. He had always been told he was no good at certain subjects. Then a special person came into his life that turned his outlook around.

"It took an English teacher to show me I can do everything every other kid can do. It just took a little more time a little more effort," says Lagerstrom.

Now, inspired by his former teacher, Mr. Lagerstrom is taking a little more time and a little more effort to help students succeed in math.

"I just want to take the kids who have been beaten down whether by society or friends and say you can do it," he says.

And these kids are doing it.

"There some concepts that I've never been able to understand before and with him I'm able to get it," says Christensen.

"If you don't understand it he will go through it again until you get it," says Hope.

Even if math isn't the most popular subject,

"I'm a computer geek," says Christensen.

"My favorite subject is English," says Hope.

Down the road those Xs and Ys may be a part of their lives.

"I want them to fall in love with learning and I want them to see the beauty of achieving their very best," says Lagerstrom. "I decided to do for students what an English teacher did for me."

Congratulations to Mr. Lagerstrom who is this weeks Head of the Class.

He will be taking home our Golden Apple Award courtesy of Crown Trophy.

Send Justine an e-mail at justineb@kidk.com if there's a teacher you would like to nominate.