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Niche: Best Schools - 2022
AHS Robotics and HPCC Systems Unite for 'Music is Life' Hackathon

AHS Robotics and HPCC Systems Unite for 'Music is Life' Hackathon

AHS Robotics and HPCC Systems Unite for 'Music is Life' Hackathon

In a groundbreaking collaboration, the Robotics Department from American Heritage Schools, Palm Beach Campus, led by Mr. Tai Donovan, teamed up with HPCC Systems, to host the inaugural Code Stallions Hackathon at the beginning of September. This event brought together students to showcase their coding prowess while engaging with music datasets in a day filled with creativity, innovation, and learning.

Congratulations to all the winners! Your hard work and dedication have paid off, and your achievements are truly commendable.

Hackathon Team Results - Robotics:

1st Place: The Good, Bad, and the HPCC - Bhav Jain & Ken Liu

2nd Place: DuaLipaFanClub - Hamza Mairajuddin, Daniel Cai & Rishitha Marri

3rd Place: I’m Tired - Maximus Callis, Kyra Movva & Ishaan Garg

AHS Robotics and HPCC Systems Unite for 'Music is Life' Hackathon

For over six years, American Heritage Schools Stallion Robotics has been nurturing a thriving academic partnership with HPCC Systems and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. HPCC Systems (High-Performance Computing Cluster also known as DAS - Data Analytics Supercomputer), is an open-source, data-intensive computing system platform developed by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. This partnership has aimed to promote students' interest in HPCC Systems and ECL (Enterprise Control Language) by providing access to mentors and the opportunity to participate in the annual Summer Internship Program.

The "Code Stallions Day: Music is Life" hackathon marked a significant milestone for American Heritage Schools, as it not only fueled students' passion for coding but also strengthened their partnership with LexisNexis Risk Solutions. 

The hackathon took place in the Upper School Media Center of American Heritage's Palm Beach Campus, with students from 6th to 12th grade participating. Before the official kickoff at 10 a.m., students eagerly set up their computers, ready to embark on the coding challenges that awaited them.

The event started with an introduction by experienced HPCC Systems mentors: Greg Panagiotatos, Hugo Watanuki, Richard Taylor, and Bob Foreman. Bob Foreman, an ECL trainer with 13 years of experience at HPCC Systems, and Richard Taylor, Chief Trainer with 24 years of experience at LexisNexis (who is also a singer, songwriter, and author), provided the lesson that covered the fundamentals necessary to tackle the hackathon challenge, "Music is Life!"

Students had the opportunity to work in teams of 1-3 and earn points for answering challenge questions. Points were awarded based on the number of questions completed before the end of the hackathon. 

During the break, Pranya Nettem, head of outreach initiatives, conducted interviews with the four mentors, shedding light on the invaluable role that mentorship plays in nurturing young talents. Stallion Robotics has had the pleasure of collaborating with Hugo Watanuki, director of the HPCC Systems summer internship program and ECL instructor, in previous summers. He expressed his satisfaction with the partnership's growth, stating, "We started with the partnership with Stallion Robotics, and now it's expanding and growing every year throughout the school."

Several team members have participated in the internship program, with Carlos Caceres being the most recent intern who worked on his project “Practical Applications of Generative AI Technology”. Carlos had the opportunity to spread the word about how students can further their coding interests through the HPCC Systems summer internship.

After lunch, the real challenge began, and the students had until 4 p.m. to work their coding magic. The mentors, including Greg Panagiotatos, a senior software engineer, circulated, offering guidance and support to students as they tackled various technological difficulties. 

The American Heritage and HPCC Systems Hackathon emerged as a resounding success, underlining the enduring partnership between Stallion Robotics and HPCC Systems. This hackathon has set the stage for future collaborations that promise to be both fruitful and long-lasting.

Special thanks go out to everyone involved and to the amazing HPCC Systems and LexisNexis Risk Solutions teams for making this event possible.

For more information about HPCC Systems and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, please visit:

HPCC Systems and LexisNexis Risk Solutions