Toshiba gives Yori ’29, Sarah ’29 honorable mentions
This is the third consecutive year USN Lower Schoolers were recognized in the world’s largest K-12 STEM competition.
By Juanita I.C. Traughber, Communications Director
Toshiba has given Sarah Ajang ’29 and Yori Crozier ’29 honorable mentions in its 28th annual ExploraVision competition for their smartphone app to help curb school violence. The app they call HeLp Me! would use algorithms to evaluate students’ answers to questions and alert school administrators of students in need of intervention.
“The goal is to assist school officials like teachers, principals, etc. to address the issue early before the bullying gets out of hand and someone gets seriously hurt. School officials are then in a better position to assist the victim and help curb the perpetrator's behavior if the issues are addressed earlier,” Sarah and Yori wrote in their 12-page submission into the world’s largest K-12 STEM competition.
The girls are in Third Grade Teacher Barbara Voehler’s class. Their idea came from hearing a true story about a boy who recently emigrated from Sudan and was being teased because he does not speak English well. USN parent Anna Nyanda Dau said the students have reached out to Google and vendors recommended by Toshiba to create their app.
In 2019, Eesha Nachnani ’28 and Anisha Nachnani '32 were among national winners of the ExploraVision competition for their proposal of a solar-powered, GPS-operated fish drone that would ingest plastic polluting oceans and convert the waste into biodegradable products. They earned an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. In 2018, Eesha proposed a genetically-engineered chlorophyll cell could negate the effects of carbon dioxide. She donated the prize laptop to USN, and it was shared with a High School student in need.
Congratulations to Anisha Nachnani ’32, who turned heads with her project, “Plastic Beneath the Surface: Quantifying the Impact of Soil Microplastics on Early Plant Development.”
Several Middle School students represented USN at the Nashville Perennial Math Competition, and all four teams qualified for the Perennial Math National Championship in May.
USN students participated in the 73rd Youth In Government conference at the Tennessee State Capitol and neighboring buildings in downtown Nashville. Several students brought home awards, and the entire group did a fantastic job representing USN.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.