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Milpitas HS seniors share advice for Zanker 6th graders moving forward to middle school

6/3/2025

Over at Zanker Elementary School, a new tradition is burgeoning that connects current 6th graders with former Zanker students who are now Milpitas High School seniors to offer guidance and advice as they prepare for the transition to middle school.

“The (high school) seniors were thoughtful in their responses, provided some great advice, and eased some of the anxiety that the sixth graders have before they move into secondary education,” shared Zanker Elementary School Principal Hetal Patel of the inaugural Zanker Senior Breakfast on June 2.

Those current Milpitas HS seniors who attended Zanker returned to their elementary alma mater for a special reunion with staff, along with leading the 6th grade assembly. They connected with staff over breakfast and then did a Q&A/advice session. In between, the seniors snuck in some handball games.

Some advice passed along during the session were:

“Don’t change yourself for others. Real friends will accept you for who you are”.
“Other people will have opinions about you, both good and bad, but the most important opinion is the one you have about yourself. Be kind to yourself.”
“Use the planner they give you in middle school.”
“If you have regrets and made mistakes, that’s ok, it’s just important what you learn from it and how you grow.”

Pair of MUSD Odyssey of the Mind teams place in top 7 at 2025 World Finals

6/2/2025

Two Milpitas Unified School District problem-solving, creative teams placed in the top 7, while three other teams finished amongst the top 25 at the 2025 Odyssey of the Mind World finals, which were held May 21-24 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.

4th Place: Sinnott Elementary School’s Wildcat Crusher Squad (Ananya Chava, Anika Pasuparthi, Bhuvan Tej, Maanvi Vasagiri, Nandita Gautam, Riya Sirsi, Sparsh Mittra)
7th Place: Curtner Elementary School’s Mech Marvels (Krisha Praveen, Ananya Madabusi, Ahana Mathur, Isha Srinivasan, Vihaan Mathur, Shanaya Agarwal, Mahathi Gopalakrishnan)
14th Place: Multiple Schools Coral Co. (Aaniya Ayarekar, Alyssa Tan, Ayana Fahim, Arsh Fahim, Evan Chou, Isaac Tan, Justin Chung), a combined 5th through 10th grade student team competing at High School Level.
17th Place: Burnett Elementary School’s The Structure Master (Xin Rou Low, Vaani Saxena, Suhavi Parmar, Amy Ha, Vunshika Soni, Shrey Kolanjery, Yi Jet Low)
23rd Place: Sinnott Elementary School’s Snowy Sinnott Wildcats (Aarini Mankad, Zuhayr Hafiz, Yusha Ibrahim, Aarush Gupta, Anoushka Singh, Natasha Mahajan)

The competition teaches students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers. Teams are faced with a problem that requires an original solution. Students apply what they learn in the classroom and combine it with their interests and passions to solve unique open-ended problems.

Click to watch the 2025 Awards Ceremony

Milpitas HS seniors share advice for Zanker 6th graders moving forward to middle school

Pair of MUSD Odyssey of the Mind teams place in top 7 at 2025 World Finals

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Milpitas Unified School District
1331 E. Calaveras Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
408.635.2600

Milpitas HS seniors share advice for Zanker 6th graders moving forward to middle school

Pair of MUSD Odyssey of the Mind teams place in top 7 at 2025 World Finals

Media Resources

Archives

Categories

Milpitas Unified School District1331 E. Calaveras Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035408.635.2600

Milpitas Unified School District
1331 E. Calaveras Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
408.635.2600