TEDxYouth visits South Forsyth
This was the first TEDx event at South Forsyth, and all involved expect it to be the first of many for the school.
March 1, 2018
TEDxYouth came to South Forsyth on February 21 with student speakers presenting their ideas on the topic “Beyond the Bubble”.
The organizers of the event stated that the topic is about “exploring the nature of our bubble and how that perception is changing, by exploring ideas such as increasing diversity in our county, applying what students learn in school to the wider world, and how students themselves inspire community action”.
The topic of “Beyond The Bubble” invites students to discuss topics outside of their comfort zone.
Speakers from all grades presented their ideas in the Performing Arts Center during the school day last Wednesday. Topics ranged from “Life Through a Camera Lens” to “Beyond The Brain: AI That Fills In The Gaps”.
The event was split into three 3 distinct sessions. 8:45 – 10:30, 11:00 – 12:45, and 1:45 to 3:30. The third session began with Arjun Karanam, an organizer of the event, who introduced everyone to the program and recognized the work of everyone that had put time into making the event run seamlessly.
Arjun Karanam, the main organizer, started the event, thanking the speakers, helpers and attendees.
The first presentation of the day was given by Samir Tartic, the school’s head custodian and to many students’ surprise an acclaimed photographer. He talked about evaluating life through a camera lens. He stated, “Life is in many ways like a camera, we can change the amount of light we let in or the speed in which we take things”.
Mr Tartic discussed his passion for photography and how it has affected his view of life.
Afterwards, Ojas Mediratta spoke on the “Importance of Self Image” teaching students the value of self-respect and never doubting yourself.
The next presentation was from Anish Bikmal on the power of association. He elaborated on the follies of social media and how students can improve their lifestyle just through redefining their association. Using a quote from Jin Ron he stated, “you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”.
The afternoon session concluded with Sudhan Chitgopkar’s talk on artificial intelligence and the capabilities of the technology to transcend and redefine our conception of learning.
The event was organized by Arjun Karanam with Jeff White handling the technology. This was the first such event of its kind for South Forsyth, but the organizers, speakers and attendees expect TEDx to become a recurring event.
