High schoolers raise funds for backpacks for homeless students
Each year, wise and creative teachers involve countless numbers of students in math-focused competitions and contests. Packs4Peers, founded by Omkar Waingankar, a senior at South Forsyth High School, recently held its first Mathematics Tournament, open to middle-school students, partly to "provide a challenging, engaging mathematical experience [that] is both competitive and educational," but also to raise funds for its mission of purchasing backpacks for underprivileged children attending Atlanta Public Schools.
Packs4Peers is supported by bright, motivated volunteers from South Forsyth High School through public outreach and event planning. “Our mission is to supply the underprivileged children of Atlanta with the materials they need to succeed in the classroom. Over 2,000 children attending Atlanta Public Schools are registered as homeless and are in dire need of school supplies. We have worked alongside organizations such as the SFHS Beta Club, United Way Forsyth, BELK Charity, Future Business Leaders of America, and more in order to raise funds to purchase these school supplies,” explained Waingankar.
Their most recent fundraiser, the math tournament, was sponsored by KeenMindsAcademy and Shiv’s Institute of Dance, hosted 69 middle school students at the Skyland Business Center on October 23, 2016, and raised over $500 for the cause.
Contestants competed in a 60-minute, 30-question individual test, and a 30-minute, 10-question team round with problems like those in MATHCOUNTS and AMC8 exams. Problems and tests were designed by Waingankar and the officers of South Forsyth High’s Mathematics Honor Society.
At the Packs4Peers Charity Math Tournament: Pramod Waingankar (Volunteer), Narsimha Tambareni (Guest), Anjali Atluri (Volunteer), Omkar Waingankar (Founder), Kirtana Mohan (Volunteer), Julie Brennan (Guest).
Guests of honor Rao Tambareni (KeenMindsAcademy) and Julie Brennan (MyForsyth Magazine) were invited to present medals during the awards ceremony. Top students and schools are listed below.
“As proud students of one of the fastest growing public school systems in the nation, our volunteers understand the value of education. Our hope is that all students in Atlanta will be able to take advantage of the public education offered and translate that opportunity into productive, rewarding careers.” Their second delivery of backpacks to Atlanta is scheduled for January 2017.
Website Bonus Feature
Video:
Here's a message to middle schoolers from our generous sponsor, Shiva Turlapati (Shiv's Institute of Dance)!
https://youtu.be/87K6lWf1sFc
Winners:
Congratulations to these smart kids!
Individual:
1st Place: Daniel Shen, South Forsyth Middle School
2nd Place: Erica Wu, Alltop School
3rd Place: Rachel Liu, Alltop School
4th Place: Aadi Karthik, South Forsyth Middle School
5th Place: Yimo Wang, Alltop School
(Right) 1st Place Team: South Forsyth Middle School - Cory Melton, Daniel Shen (also 1st Place Individual winner), Nitin Bolakond, and Aadi Karthik (also 4th Place Individual).
Team:
1st Place: South Forsyth Middle School - Daniel Shen, Nitin Bolakond, Aadi Karthik, Cory Melton
2nd Place: Alltop School - Anna Hu, Alan Qiao, Avinash Athota, Yimo Wang
3rd Place: Alltop School - Erica Wu, Austin Tsang, Maxwell Feng, Rachel Liu
(Right) 2nd Place Team: Alltop School - Avinash Athota, Yimo Wang (also 5th Place Individual), Anna Hu, and Alan Qiao.
For more information about Packs4Peers or to sponsor a backpack ($25 per backpack) contact Packs 4 Peers at packs4peers@gmail.com.
PayPal Link (Donate 1 Backpack): goo.gl/h0Xr6Y
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