By Jack Hill

In the fall of 1989, long-time math teacher David Bannard was welcomed into the Collegiate community, but not as the math teacher he is known to be today.

Before teaching math at Collegiate, Bannard pursued other fields. Bannard, who grew up in Long Island, New York, graduated from Yale University in 1969 as an economics major. Bannard had no desire to go into business after earning his degree from Yale, however. He took his very first teaching job at Vincent Smith School, a school in Port Washington, New York. Just two years into his career at Vincent Smith, Bannard started teaching math. He began teaching pre-algebra and Algebra One, but after three years at Vincent Smith, Bannard moved schools.

Bannard relocated to Groton, Massachusetts, where he began his second teaching job at Groton School, an elite boarding school. While at Groton, Bannard taught a plethora of classes, varying from combined statistics and economics courses to pre-algebra and calculus. Bannard had a 17-year career at Groton before making yet another move.

Bannard teaching Honors Geometry and Trigonometry.

After Bannard’s wife Gussie took the job of headmaster at St. Catherine’s School in 1989, Bannard made his final job change to date. Soon after his arrival in Richmond, Bannard looked for yet another teaching position, this time ending up at Collegiate. Since then, Bannard has taught a variety of high school math courses, including Algebra II, Honors Geometry and Trigonometry, AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus BC. Out of all of these, Bannard states that Honors Geometry and Trigonometry, (HGT) has always been his “go-to” in terms of favorite classes to teach.

Bannard’s passion for geometry did not end with HGT. Following the discovery of the Mandelbrot Set in 1980 by famous mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, Bannard had begun studying the highly experimental and newly created field of fractal geometry. After years of studying the field and going to numerous conferences, Bannard gained substantial knowledge of fractals and soon created his own class at Collegiate, called Fractal Geometry, in the mid-1990s.

At the same time, Bannard created another course at Collegiate: Math Modeling. This course focuses on creating mathematical models to solve real-world problems. Like his Fractal Geometry course, his Math Modeling class takes a new approach to teaching math in high school, deviating from teaching algebra and calculus by applying what students know to real-world problems.

Mathematics has changed significantly since his very first year of teaching. Bannard stated that “the Texas Instruments (TI) calculator significantly changed high school math.” The introduction of new calculator technology allowed for new content and altered the AP AB and BC Calculus courses forever. Technology has played a significant role in Bannard’s teaching career, especially the use of computers to graph and generate fractals. Bannard stated, “without computers, the field of fractal geometry wouldn’t exist.”

Bannard will be retiring at the end of the 2022 school year after teaching at Collegiate School for over 30 years and serving as math department chair from 2000 to 2015. He said that he will miss two things about teaching the most: “my colleagues, and my students.” Bannard has long appreciated working with kids. He said, “I love teaching kids” when asked why he doesn’t teach at the college level.

While Bannard’s presence as a teacher and mentor will be missed, his compassion and the impact he has made on all of his students will never be forgotten. Collegiate senior Ashwin Johri (‘22), who has taken AP AB Calculus, Honors Math Modeling, and Honors Advanced Geometry with Bannard, said that “Bannard’s passion and extensive knowledge about each of the subjects he teaches always make his classes both engaging and thoughtful.” In addition to this, Glenn LaFerriere, a fellow math teacher and nine-year colleague of Bannard, said that “It’s more than just the math. He’s so humble, and when you don’t understand something, he’s gonna’ get you there.” 

Bannard wishes to leave a legacy of innovation at Collegiate, and he hopes that in the future we “continue to teach new math as it is created.” Bannard has already had this impact on Collegiate in his three decades working here. He was one of the driving forces behind integrating the use of Smartboards into Collegiate classrooms. Bannard’s use of new technology and his creation of two math courses set the standard for the legacy he wishes to leave at Collegiate by relating math to the outside world and integrating new technology. His encouragement, curiosity, and ability to relate math to the world around us will continue to inspire his students and colleagues long after his last day this spring. 

During his retirement, Bannard said that he is planning on traveling more and spending more time with his children and grandchildren. He mentioned possibly writing a book but is still unsure at the moment. 

All photos courtesy of Collegiate School.