Excel Public School shines at ATL Marathon 2024

This year’s ATL Marathon received 19,700 project submissions across the country. Of these, 500 top innovations were selected as finalists. Karnataka led the nation with the highest number of selected projects, totaling 84, with EPS contributing 11 of these projects.

Excel Public School (EPS) has made a remarkable achievement at the ATL Marathon 2023-24, emerging with the highest number of finalists from a single school nationwide. Organized by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, in collaboration with UNICEF and YuWaah, the ATL Marathon is a premier innovation challenge inviting schools to address community issues through creative solutions and working prototypes.

Record-Breaking Participation

This year’s ATL Marathon received 19,700 project submissions across the country. Of these, 500 top innovations were selected as finalists. Karnataka led the nation with the highest number of selected projects, totaling 84, with EPS contributing 11 of these projects.

Opportunities for Student Innovators

EPS students now have the chance to engage in the Student Innovator Program, which includes entrepreneurship boot camps and internships with leading corporates and incubation centers in India. They will also compete for grants and seed funding provided by the Ministry of Education for 200 finalists from the ATL Marathon.

EPS has consistently excelled in the Marathon over the past six years, submitting around 250 projects and frequently securing top 500 placements. Last year, the school’s ‘Millet Vending Machine’ was chosen for Dell Shepreneur Program boot camp training, and the ‘Anytime Education Device’ received grant and seed funding from the Ministry of Education.

Diverse and Innovative Projects

This year’s projects from EPS covered a wide range of themes, including agriculture, inclusivity, education, mobility, disaster management, health, and space. Notable innovations included a Traffic Rerouting device for floods, DIY HAM Radio kits for disaster communication, a solar-powered medicine vending machine, a satellite payload for environmental monitoring, automated agricultural devices, and gamified problem-solving tools.

Developed by teams of two to three students from grades IV to X, each project involved approximately 40-50 hours of work. These projects were crafted at EPS’s Innovation Centre, a 7,000 sq ft facility dedicated to fostering student entrepreneurship and innovation. The center provides resources for R&D, design, prototype development, and internships with leading organizations, partnering with entities such as ISRO, 1 Edtech, and Ham Radio India.

Recognition and Celebrations

In honor of EPS’s achievements, mentors and students attended the 78th Independence Day Celebration in New Delhi. Gopinath Subramaniam, Senior Learning Designer, Chitra Uthaya, Head of Learning Events & Assessment, and Jyoti Joseph, ATL in-charge at EPS, along with students Tanvi Girish (Grade XI), Abhinav A (Grade X), and Nandan Hedge (Grade X), were recognized at the event.

Shubham Gupta, Innovation Lead at Atal Innovation Mission, praised EPS’s success, noting that their innovation and dedication have earned them special recognition from NITI Aayog and the Prime Minister’s Office. The students and mentors were honored with an invitation to the Independence Day celebrations and visits to national landmarks.

School Leadership Praises

Mathew KG, Principal of EPS, expressed pride in the students' achievements, attributing the success to the collective efforts of teachers, mentors, and the school community. He emphasized EPS’s commitment to empowering students with skills and opportunities to excel in the real world.

Sudhanva, MD & CEO of the Excel Group, congratulated the students on their ingenuity and the school’s dedication to nurturing future innovators and entrepreneurs. He highlighted EPS’s success as a testament to the collaborative efforts of the entire school community.

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