Two Student Teams from Alonzo & Tracy Mourning Senior High Win Big at FTX Charity Hackathon

Two student teams from Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High competed against three other teams – two from Broward County and one from Palm Beach County – by pitching their best ideas to improve mental and physical health in the FTX Charity Hackathon, on Sunday.

Both teams were coached by Social Studies Department Chair and the 2019 M-DCPS Teacher of the Year, Molly Winters Diallo, who turned the competition into a class project.

Team “Social Seniors” won the judges’ vote and tied for first place with a Broward team to win $500,000 in startup money. The prize will help them put their mental health tech idea – an initiative that pairs high school seniors with senior citizens to bridge tech training and community service – on the market. This program will allow participants to cultivate meaningful relationships, learn life skills, and create lasting memories that will benefit both parties’ mental health and wellness. Team members include 11th-graders Anthony Vega, Lucas Caicedo, Andres Gonzalez and Michael McKenzie.

Team “Hear Me Out” captured the audience vote and was awarded $50,000 to help them realize their music therapy program, which pairs high school and middle school students in an after-school program of bonding, with instruments and digital music apps. The team members, Megan Pierre, Kaley Reinhartz, Alannah Williams, Vallentina Oliveira and Andres Bonilla, are all juniors.

All members of the top five teams were also awarded $15,000 in scholarships. The panel of celebrity judges included Kevin O’Leary from TV’s “Shark Tank,” Miami HEAT basketball star Udonis Haslem, former major league baseball player David Ortiz and comedienne Whitney Cummings.

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TOP CAPTION:  WINNERS: pictured left-to-right: Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School Assistant Principal  Eddie Medina; Tracy Mourning; 2019 Teacher of the Year and Coach Molly Winters Diallo; Team1d:  Michael McKenzie, Anthony Vega, Andres Gonzalez and Lucas Caicedo; and Chief Human Capital Officer Dr. Dawn M. Baglos.