Must-Have Backpack Essentials Kids Need for a Happy School Day
backpacks get heavy because kids carry things “just in case.” Extra toys, old papers, or supplies they don’t use add weight for no reason.


We just learned about an incredible extracurricular program for high school students and wanted to share it with you.
The Knowledge Society (TKS) is a 10-month innovation program for students ages 13-17 who want to solve the world’s biggest problems. The program is modeled after curriculums from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, and designed to replicate the learning environments of Google and Facebook. They’ve also been recognized by organizations like the World Economic Forum.
What students do in TKS:
TKS students in Vancouver are working on mind blowing projects. They came into TKS with no background or experience in technology.
Jessica, 16-years-old, is redefining Palm Oil by genetically modifying e.coli bacteria. She has also built a project to eradicate senescent cells in the brain. Watch her presentation here.
Anastasija, is diagnosing hypertension through analyzing circadian rhythms and metabolites.
Jerry, 15-years-old, is a blockchain enthusiast who has built his own cryptocurrency coins.
You can schedule time with TKS students from Vancouver to hear about their experience in the program.
Meet the Vancouver Director
TKS students get full access to the Vancouver Director, Steven ten Holder. Steven delivers the program, and helps TKS students discover their passions and guides their projects.
Steven is the founder of Acorn Biolabs, a bioengineering startup accelerated by Y-Combinator, Johnson&Johnson’s JLABS and received over $3.3M in venture investment. Acorn non-invasively collects, transports, and cryopreserves young cells directly from consumers to help superpower future longevity therapeutics like 3D bioprinting. During his time at the University of Waterloo, Steven used CRISPR to design an anti-viral immunity system for Arabidopsis plants.
Application Process
Before joining TKS, students go through an application and interview process to be selected. They also offer generous tuition support to families. This year, TKS distributed $1.5M in tuition support, and covered between 20-90% of tuition expenses for families in need.
The deadline to apply is Monday, April 5th.
If you have questions about the program you can sign up for their next information session or email [email protected]
This post has been sponsored by The Knowledge Society, but the opinions are my own.
backpacks get heavy because kids carry things “just in case.” Extra toys, old papers, or supplies they don’t use add weight for no reason.

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