On February 12, 2025, Shark Tank, which was introduced by Reese Roaman ’25 and Sadie Schoenberger ’25, came to Poly Middle School. For the past two years, the Upper School Shark Tank assembly has been a crowd-favorite, modeled after the famous TV show “Shark Tank.” In this assembly, any Poly student can present their innovative idea to a panel of teachers who choose the most compelling proposal. The winner receives one hundred dollars in Chef Lou Bucks, which is a pass to get food for free in Commons after school. In addition to the reward, winners are given the opportunity to bring their ideas to life. 

The Middle School version of the Shark Tank assembly was similar but had an adjustment: students were able to vote for which idea they thought should win in a form sent out after the assembly. Conversely, in the Upper School winners are solely decided by the panel. The ideas presented in this assembly included “The Borrow Box,” by Esteban Mierisch ’29, “Sabor De Fuego,” by Sam Mezhburd ’30, Malakai Seales ’30, and Micah Drucker-Mann ’30, “The Student Lounge,” by Mia Khouzami ’31 and Ava Guzman ’31, “The Poly Helps Program,” by Sloane Millar ’31 and Olivia Lambert ’31, and finally, “The Student Handbook,” by Kiora Jordan ’32, Olivia Brown ’32, and Ramsey Smulian ’32.  

The afternoon assembly kicked off with Mierisch’s Shark Tank presentation, “The Borrow Box.” Mierisch’s idea is simple but useful and was a great way to set the tone of the assembly. He presented the idea of creating a box in every classroom containing everyday necessities, such as pencils, rulers, and tape, that students could borrow before class.  

The next presentation was “Poly Helps,”a website that would work as a database for students across the middle school to make videos about what they have learned in their classes to help future students study for assessments on similar topics. The students also included an exciting skit with their presentation. When asked about her favorite part of the process, co-creator of “Poly Helps,” Millar, said, “My favorite part was probably creating the slideshow for it because you could add lots of your own ideas onto it.” Millar and Lambert anticipated a question about the possibility of misinformation would be asked, so they assured the panel that a teacher would first approve any video uploaded to the website. 

Next to be introduced in the Shark Tank assembly was  “The Student Lounge.” “The Student Lounge” would serve as a place any Poly student could access to study for an upcoming quiz or test or even just to give their mind a break from the demanding school day. Although the idea received much support from the students, the panel questioned where the lounge would be on campus. Khouzami and Guzman responded by saying it would be set in an empty classroom. 

Next, the audience was drawn in by the elaborate presentation of “Sabor De Fuego.” Mezhburd, Seales, and Drucker-Mann’s presentation was different from any other group, as they were the only ones to have brought their product to life in preparation for the assembly. Their idea for an extra spicy chip brand to be sold in Commons was able to excite the audience and fill the theater with applause. 

To close out the assembly, the middle school “Student Handbook” was proposed. The handbook would be handed out to new and returning students at the beginning of each year to give them information about anything from the location of the Legacy Gym to the dates of school events. Smulian, Brown, and Jordan also said that there would be a new handbook each year so that all of the necessary updates would be included. 

After the assembly ended, Director of Student Life Jared Winston sent out a form to all middle school students for voting. In the next assembly, it was announced that “Sabor De Fuego” had won the student vote, and the panel’s winner was “The Student Handbook.” The addition of the student-chosen winner was a great way to show which idea resonated most with students. In addition to this, the panel only included teachers, so adding the vote helped to create multiple perspectives. 

Although only two winners were named, any group can bring their idea to life. Hopefully, the Middle School Shark Tank will continue to inspire and bring great ideas to Poly for years to come!