Nashville Junior High School student is one of 564 chosen to compete in a national math competition

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    Adin Akbar beat out more than 44,000 applicants across 41 states to qualify for Chicago event

    NASHVILLE, AR – An 8th-grade student from Nashville Junior High in Nashville, Arkansas, was chosen out of 44,000 applicants from across the country to participate in MathCON, a prestigious academic competition hosted by Concept Schools in Chicago later this month.
    Among the 564 finalists chosen was Adin Akbar, an 8th-grader at NJHS.
    Students from 41 states took the initial exam to qualify for MathCON, which will be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago on April 23. The day-long event brings together elementary, middle, and high school students to compete through various math questions and activities for prizes such as mini IPads, gift cards, and national prestige.
    MathCON was created in 2008 by Concept Schools as a Midwest competition with just 125 participants, and has since grown into a national event. MathCON’s goal is to engage students in STEM outside of the classroom and encourage more students to enter the STEM fields, which are currently some of the fastest-growing industries in the United States.
    “We’re incredibly proud when any of our students earn recognition for their accomplishments, and we’re so excited to have Adin Akbar represent Nashville Junior High at MathCON,” his teacher Krissy Thomason said. “The STEM field is such an important part of the future, and we actively encourage our students to find fun ways to use STEM inside and outside of the classroom. This is a great honor not only for Adin, but also for NJHS.”
    “It will be a great day of entertainment for the kids,” says Ayhan Caputlu, Director of Math Education at Concept Schools and initiator of MathCON. “I am hoping for a “Big 10” NCAA-type conference model with all the same fanfare and anticipation.”
    “MathCON is our way of inspiring the future leaders in science, technology, math and engineering by engaging students at a young age, making STEM fun and demonstrating its real-world applications,” said Ayhan Caputlu of Concept Schools, which organizes the event. “The competition allows us to reach students from all over the nation and help them establish, improve and maintain skills that can lead to many possibilities throughout their educational careers and beyond.”
    In addition to the approximately hour-long test, students at this year’s competition will enjoy a presentation from “math-magician” Arthur T. Benjamin, enjoy a pizza party with other participants and play an array of STEM-related games. For a full agenda, visit mathcon.org.
    Next year, MathCON hopes to draw students from all 50 states and continue its goal of challenging students academically and promoting high-quality STEM education.