FSA COLLEGE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SPEAKER SERIES HOSTED KRIS RINNE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AT AT&T LABS

Last Friday, December 13, FSA hosted Kris Rinne, Senior Vice President at AT&T Labs. Mrs. Rinne talked about earlier, current and future communication technologies and made some demonstrations. It was a time travel through technological innovations. Simply amazing! Mrs. Rinne asked students about their opinions and ideas about future communication tools. The answers were very brights and innovative. The program ended with many wonderful questions from our students. We thanks Mrs. Rinne for taking time from her busy schedule and giving this wonderful speech. We also thank one of our parents, Mrs. Kefalas for arranging this event for our students.  

Kris Rinne, senior vice president of network technology at AT&T Labs, has a depth of knowledge of the wireless network that leaves most in the industry in awe. She can rattle off answers to just about any technology question in such a succinct manner that those listening need a couple seconds (or more) just to process her answer.

But that vast knowledge of the network serves her well. In her current role, she oversees all the architecture and planning for AT&T's LTE network, handling standards and device certification. She also oversees network platforms and service platforms via AT&T Labs, as well as the analysis and optimization of the network.

Throughout Rinne's 30-year tenure in the industry she has participated in the deployment of several different network technologies including GSM, HSPA and now LTE. As a long-time technology leader, she has contributed to the industry by serving on the board of several industry associations including as chairperson of the Board of Governors at  4G Americas (previously known as 3G Americas) and as a director of the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS).

In 2011, Kris was named as “The Most Influential Woman in Wireless” by Fierce Wireless and was a member of the Global Telecom Business Power 100 list of the most powerful telecom executives. She made the Fierce Wireless list once again in 2012.

Rinne also is a 2013 Wireless Hall of Fame inductee. Inductees are selected by an anonymous panel consisting of current Hall of Fame members, which include such wireless industry luminaries as former Qualcomm CEO Irwin Jacobs, Craig McCaw, founder of McCaw Communications, and former AT&T Mobility CEO Stan Sigman.

2013 is an important year for Rinne as she and her team work to expand AT&T's LTE footprint so it covers 270 million POPs by year-end. In addition, Rinne will likely be overseeing the deployment of LTE Advanced features, including carrier aggregation technology.

FSA STUDENTS ATTENDED MICROSOFT CODE OF HOUR EVENT

On Thursday, December 12th, 16 FSA students from 7th and 8th grade went to the Microsoft to attend Code of Hour event. During the event students learned and practiced some Java skills and completed some certain tasks. Then students visited Microsoft Technology Center, Envisioning Center and Data Center. Students also had a chance to use latest Microsoft products including an 80" touch screen, the Xbox One, the new Nokia phone, and the Microsoft Surface. We thank Microsoft for this amazing opportunity. We also thank one of our former parents, Merrill Oakes, for arranging this wonderful event for us.  Our students truly enjoyed it and came back to school very happily :) 

RoboNation Won Presentation Award and Advanced to Super-Regionals

On December 14th robotics team RoboNation has done a great job at FLL Georgia Official Qualifying Tournament. RonoNation won Presentation Award as a team and advanced to Super-Regionals. This award recognizes a team that effectively communicates the problem they have identified and their proposed solution to both the judges and other potential supporters. Robo-Nations includes the following students: Andre Hamelberg, Julian Hamelberg, Jay Lee, Saad Maan, Jean Moorman, Mira Mutnick, Yusuf Tas, Hasan Unal, Maryam Unal, and Simon Wang. Congratulations to these students, their parents and coach Mr. Kaya. We wish them success at their future competition. Way to go! 

FSA Robotics Team Won Innovative Solution Award and Advanced to Super-Regionals

On December 7th robotics team StormRadars has done a great job at FLL Georgia Official Qualifying Tournament. StormRadars won Innovative Solution Award as a team and advanced to Super-Regionals. This award recognizes a team’s solution that is exceptionally well-considered and creative, with good potential to solve the problem research. Our team includes Kevin Lee, Zeynep Ozdemir, Aditi Srivastava, Celil Teber, Shivan Patel, Jacob Grisgsby, Muskaan Gupta, Mario Machado, and Calum O'Sullivan. Congratulations to these students, their parents and coach Mr. Kaya. We wish them success at their future competition.

FSA Science Olympiad Team Won 1st Place as a Team

On Saturday, November 16, 2013,  three Fulton Science Academy Private School Science Olympiad Teams competed in the Chattahoochee Invitational in Johns Creek. This was the first tournament of the season and included teams from Alabama, Tennessee and the Atlanta area, including rival Dodgen Middle School who placed second in last year’s state tournament and twelfth at Nationals. The FSA teams brought home the 1^st place and 5^th place plaques as a team.

Head Coaches Pam Walsh and Gloria Stathos were pleased with the team’s performance. “This was the first year Chattahoochee has hosted an invitational and you never know what to expect at a new tournament, but our students performed well and we’re very satisfied with the results,” said Mrs. Walsh.

The competition was a reunion of sorts for many former FSA students. Colin Walsh, Stephanie Stathos, Suryabratta Dutta, and Sunny Chen, all members of the 2010 FSA National Science Olympiad Team, and Beyza Akgun, 2012 FSA National Team member, assisted with the tournament by proctoring exams.

Congratulations to all of these students, parents and our wonderful coaches. 

Individual awards were earned by the following students:

Anatomy – coached by Mrs. Ambari

3^rd Place – Hasan Unal and Araneesh Pratap

5^th Place – Sanjeev Uppalari and Avnee Naik

Boomilever – coached by Mr. Seker

5^th Place Sule Anik and Kian Najaf

Disease Detectives – coached by Mrs. Lewis

5th Place Sree Sanku and Suraj Chatrathi

Dynamic Planet – coached by Mrs. Walsh

5^th Place - Aditya Choudhari and Simon Wang

Entomology – coached by Mrs. Butler

2nd Place – Faith Lucas and Aditya Choudhari

Experimental Design – coached by Mrs. Stathos

1^st Place – Simon Wang, Mira Mutnick, and Sule Anik

2^nd Place – Maryam Unal, Sruthi Chatrathi, and Sophie Richardson

Heredity – coached by Ms. Doraiswami

4^th Place – Sruthi Chatrathi and Karuna Kumar

Meteorology – coached by Mr. Ambardekar

4^th Place – Neel Ambardekar and Sule Anik

Metric Mastery – coached by Ms. Fichter

1^st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani

Road Scholar – coached by Mrs. Stathos

3rd Place – Neel Ambardekar and Mira Mutnick

Robo-Cross – coached by Mr. Kaya

4^th Place – Yusuf Tas

Rocks and Minerals – coached by Mrs. Walsh

1^st Place – Brian Shoffeitt and Jean Moorman

3^rd Place – Callie Webster and Soleil Moffitt

Rotor Egg Drop – coached by Mr. Seker

1^st Place – Hasan Unal and Kian Najaf

3^rd Place – Akash Bhatt and Nadine Haddad

Shock Value – coached by Mr. Wang

2^nd Place – Simon Wang and Vikram Ruppa-Kasani

Simple Machines – coached by Mr. Near

1^st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Brian Shoffeitt

3^rd Place – Julian Hamelberg and Josh White

Solar System – coached by Mrs. Walsh

2^nd Place –Jean Moorman and Aditya Choudhari

Sounds of Music – coached by Mr. Yanasak

5^th Place – Mira Mutnick and Faith Lucas

Water Quality – coached by Mrs. Butler

1^st Place – Jennifer Near and Elaine Wen

2^nd Place – Sophie Richardson and Akash Bhatt

3^rd Place – Vikram Ruppa-Kasani and Sule Anik

Write It, Do It – coached by Mrs. Stathos

1^st Place – Sophie Richardson and Karuna Kumar

FSA Students Loved IRobot Demonstration

We had a wonderful day at FSA on December 16, 2013. Mr. Gray Stair from IROBOT company was with us. Mr. Stair talked about robots and demonstrated five different robots. At the end of presentation, students had a chance to use  the robots themselves. We thank Mr. Stair for this wonderful presentation. Mr. Stair said that he will be back during spring time with 15 more robots including a helicopter :)

Please see some pictures and a brief video from today's event below:

Elementary Students Enjoyed Atlanta Zoo Field Trip

3^rd through 5^th grade students had a wonderful time on their field trip to the Atlanta Zoo! Students began the morning with a tour of the zoo.  Science skills were put to work as students observed animals in their natural habitats.  They walked through the African Savannah to see elephants and giraffes, strolled through rain forest jungles to see a variety of snakes and frogs, peeked at the sleeping pandas in the bamboo forest and crawled through the dens of naked mole rats! After the tour, students visited the petting zoo where they brushed and said hello to a few friendly goats.  The morning excitement was concluded with a pleasant picnic lunch in Grant Park. Our fun filled day was completed with an educational program discussing the different types and characteristics of habitats. This interactive program had students onstage as they discussed producers and consumers within an ecosystem. The program ended with an alligator encounter! Student got to pet a 2 year old alligator and reflect on an awesome and educational experience at the zoo! 

CMP Speaker Series Hosted Mr. Mike Sutton

As part of Fulton Science Academy College Mentorship Program Speaker Series, we have hosted Mr. Mike Sutton, President at Pinnacle Performers,  to talk about "Presentation Skills." Mr. Sutton, being an expert in this area, has done an amazing job teaching our students presentation skills. It was a dynamic presentation with many useful information. We thank Mr. Sutton for making himself available and covering this very important topic for our students.

U.S. Representative Tom Price Recognized FSA Math Team

To the Fulton Science Academy Math Team:

I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on occasion of your recent successes at the Rockdale Math Competition in Conyers, Georgia. To place first in both your division and overall, is truly a remarkable achievement of which you should be incredibly proud.

As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, I understand the need for our nation's students to excel in mathematics. It is through the efforts of dedicated teachers and coaches like Mr. Davut Seker and Mr. Salih Tuzen, that our country will produce the next great leaders, scientists, and scholars in a globalized economy. I am especially proud of Hasan Unal, Araneesh Pratap, Brian Shoffeitt, Jean Moorman, Julian Hamelberg, Aditya Choudhari, Vikram Ruppa-Kasani, Mira Mutnick, Elaine Wen, Katherine Li, Charlie Furniss and Karuna Kumar, for practice, diligence, and dedication to academic excellence.

The Fulton Science Academy Math Team has undoubtedly made a profound impact on the Sixth Congressional District by earning this victory.  You have unequivocally demonstrated that cooperation and involvement from faculty, parents, and the community at-large are the ultimate keys to the successful education of our precious youth. I urge each of you to take stock of this tremendous accomplishment. Your classroom success will undoubtedly serve as a shining example for generations of students to come.

Again, congratulations upon receiving this distinguished honor. I believe I echo the sentiments of the citizens of the Sixth Congressional District of Georgia by expressing how proud we are of you. I wish each of you the best of luck moving forward, and please let me know if I may ever be of service to you in the future.

Great Job at Centennial High School Model United Nations Tournament

Before the Thanksgiving holiday break, on Friday, November 22^nd, the FSAPS Model United Nations team went to Centennial High School for their second competition of the year against students from other county schools.

Students had a great time, with each student representing a country individually in one of five councils.

Though all of our team members did great research and made a strong effort, six students recognized for their hard work:

·       In the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Kian Najaf, representing Togo, was named outstanding delegate, the highest award possible.

·       In the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) we had several students recognized: for best position paper, Omar Kayyali (Ghana); distinguished delegate, Clare Merideth-Webb (India); and outstanding delegate, Elaine Wen (Sweden).

·       In General Assembly, Aditya Choudhari (United Arab Emirates) had the best position paper.

·       In the Security Council, Brian Shoffeitt (France) was given an honorable mention.

More than a quarter of our students won recognition this year, and all participated strongly.  We are very proud of everyone on the team, particularly since they only had a week to prepare their papers for submission following the GSU conference.  This was a great learning experience for our team, most of which are experiencing Model UN for the first year.  Excellent work!