NEWS RELEASES  >  AUGUST 18, 2016

Follett's President to Serve as Judge for Googlepalooza Student


MCHENRY, IL – Nader Qaimari, President of Follett’s PreK-12 business, Follett School Solutions, will serve as a judge for the “Student Hackathon,” a contest that is part of this week’s Googlepalooza conference presented by Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The third annual conference runs today and tomorrow (Aug. 18-19) at Whitney Young High School in Chicago.

Teams of up to six students in grades 9 to 12 will compete in the first-ever Hackathon to design and prototype an application to improve how teachers and administrators interact with the district’s student information, such as grades, attendance, and schedules. At no point will students have access to any personally identifiable student information.

Qaimari and his fellow judges will evaluate entries on each of the two days with prizes awarded to the top three winning teams. Team presentations will be made during the two afternoons, with the judging results to cap each day.

“This is not only an honor to serve on the judging panel but it will be an absolute pleasure,” Qaimari said. “Since we have Aspen, our own student information system at Follett, I will be watching with keen interest to see what these bright young minds design.”

The CPS Googlepalooza conference is geared to support all principals, teachers, clerks, and staff as they utilize Google tools to teach, learn, work, and collaborate more effectively. Presentations and workshop sessions highlight each day’s agenda; it is free to attend.

Earlier this year, Qaimari was promoted to President of Follett School Solutions. He joined the company in July 2014 and quickly earned key promotions, including being named Executive Vice President of Follett Corporation in October 2015.

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