Kelly brings passion for math, life to Bigfork

James Kelly is the first to admit that he’s kind of a dork.

“I didn’t realize until I was actually a math major that I really do enjoy math,” Kelly said. “I love seeing patterns and fractals in nature and just letting my inner nerd come out.”

Kelly, who recently began his first year teaching middle school and high school math in Bigfork, wants to instill that same sense of wonder in his students.

“My goal is (to show) relatability,” Kelly said. “I try to relate the math to things that are going on in kids’ lives — sports, video games, whatever.”

Because mathematics is built on the study of patterns, Kelly is constantly discovering new ways to apply math principles outside of the classroom.

“Mathematics is all about patterns and connecting all of these different puzzle pieces,” Kelly said. “When I see a tree, I see the symmetry in how the roots grow, and each branch can be seen as a fractal of the tree.”

A recent graduate of Carroll College in Helena, Kelly grew up in Kalispell, where he attended Flathead High School.

“I always knew I wanted to teach,” Kelly said. “In high school, I had a history teacher who was awesome. He had his whole room decked out, and I thought it was so cool that he had his own style.”

Kelly is still working on developing his style, but his main priority is getting to know his students on an individual basis.

“Middle school can be a rough time in a kid’s life, so I’m focused on being someone they can talk to and relate to and showing them that there is more to life than just school,” Kelly said.

Although he is fresh out of college, Kelly has spent a lot of time working with children as a counselor at various camps, including a ski camp in Oregon.

An avid skier, Kelly said that one of the reasons he wanted to return to the Flathead Valley was to take advantage of its numerous ski venues.

“To be honest, I just really, really wanted to ski,” Kelly said. “I love the Flathead Valley. There is so much to do here, and the fact that it’s home is just a perk.”

The son of a paraprofessional educator and a plywood mill worker, Kelly’s parents instilled in him a strong sense of service.

“They have always taught me to be respectful and help out as much as possible,” Kelly said. “My mom is really active. She’s part of a lot of organizations, and she has shaped me to always be in service to other people.”

Once he has settled into his new job, Kelly would like to add to the list of extracurricular activities available to Bigfork students.

“I would love to get an adventure club going, and a photography club with film cameras,” Kelly said.

Although he wouldn’t necessarily call himself an artist, Kelly said he enjoys the process of making photographic images.

“I think creativity and math go hand-in-hand because in any math problem, there is an infinite number of ways to solve it. It’s just a matter of figuring out which way to go,” he said.