IMACS Awards 20 Scholarships to Celebrate 20 Years in Business

PLANTATION, Fla. - Aug. 29, 2013 - PRLog -- This month the Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (IMACS) – acclaimed for fostering lifelong problem-solving and critical thinking skills – celebrates 20 years of serving talented children by awarding 20 scholarships to attend its after-school math program. From humble beginnings of just 37 students in Plantation, IMACS has grown to include five South Florida learning centers and serves more than 3,700 students throughout the United States and across 10 countries.

At IMACS each child is challenged by ability level, not by age, using games, logic puzzles, virtual robotics, and other engaging activities. Through these challenges, students develop logical reasoning skills far beyond their most advanced peers. Classes are for first through twelfth graders.

To IMACS President, Terry Kaufman, the institute's growth isn't surprising. “IMACS was founded on the idea that students' progress must be based on a genuine understanding of concepts, not on rote memorization,” Kaufman said. “Many of our local families, as well as our distance learning students, are actively looking for supplements to an educational system that historically has emphasized standardized test performance over the development of critical thinking skills."

IMACS' focus on logical and creative thinking has produced results for its graduates. Many go on to excel at top universities of their choice, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford and Caltech, and are recruited by major tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft.

"Former IMACS students tell me they're surprised to see the benefits of our elementary classes lasting five to ten years later when they are in high school," said Ted Sweet, IMACS Director of Curriculum Development. "Then in college and beyond, they realize the truth: the rigorous thinking skills they developed at IMACS have given them an advantage that will last their entire lives."

Over the past several years, IMACS has become a partner with Broward County Public Schools. During this time, IMACS has developed a science curriculum and virtual robotics program and has taught its Math Enrichment program to around 800 second graders as part of the county's initiative to increase science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) academics in the public schools.

In addition to operating classes at its Plantation headquarters, IMACS holds after-school, weekend and summer camp classes in Weston, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and its newest center in Aventura. Prestigious partner schools such as Pine Crest School, American Heritage School and University School of Nova Southeastern University offer IMACS classes on-site. For students who do not have local access to IMACS, select components of its highly acclaimed curriculum are available online at www.eimacs.com and www.elementsofmathematics.com.

To be entered in a scholarship raffle, students may attend a free IMACS placement class any time between Sept 3 and Nov 12. Each scholarship is valued at $299 to $579, depending on the selected class. Parents may schedule a placement class by calling IMACS at 954-791-2333 or by reserving their spot at www.imacs.org. IMACS' Plantation headquarters is located at 7435 NW 4th Street.

The Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science uses lively and innovative methods of teaching high level mathematics, computer science and logical reasoning skills to elementary and secondary school students.