A Montgomery County student is taking youth development into his own hands. Poolesville High School senior Oren Hurwitz has launched SmartPlay360, a free, student-led program that blends academics with athletics to make learning fun, accessible, and engaging for children across the county.
SmartPlay360 began late this past summer and has already served more than 60 youth through community sessions held at Quince Orchard High School and partnerships with local schools and organizations. The mission is simple: ensure that all children, regardless of financial ability, have access to academic support and athletic opportunities in a safe and encouraging environment.
Hurwitz describes SmartPlay360 as “where the field meets the classroom,” offering hands-on, movement-based lessons that combine subjects like math, English, and science with sports such as football, basketball, and track. Each session is designed to empower students, build confidence, and show that learning can be active and exciting.
Recent examples showcase how the program blends learning and play. During a Football X Math session, kids learned to calculate and identify angles by running different football routes, turning math into motion. A Track X English session connected each phase of the 100-meter dash to a part of a story’s plot structure, taking students from exposition to resolution while sprinting through each stage. Private school students at Rise Hybrid Private Academy explored Newton’s Laws of Motion during a Basketball X Science session, applying concepts like force and acceleration through dribbling, passing, and shooting drills. At Rachel Carson Bar-T, younger students practiced fractions, while older groups worked on percentages through a basketball-based team activity.
The SmartPlay360 team, made up of Hurwitz and fellow student leaders, plans and leads each session. Hurwitz says the group is passionate about creating programs that are fun, meaningful, and accessible to all. The goal is to continue expanding, with plans to eventually offer highly affordable private sessions that combine personalized academic help with athletic training.
For Hurwitz, SmartPlay360 is the realization of a long-held dream. He first came up with the idea at age nine while attending a youth entrepreneurship camp. Growing up, he experienced firsthand how costly sports programs and extracurricular activities can be. He recalls wanting to join a county flag football program but being unable to afford it, a memory that helped shape SmartPlay360’s mission of inclusion.
“Now that I’ve launched SmartPlay360, I can ensure that every child, regardless of financial ability, can learn, play, and grow,” he said. SmartPlay360 continues to grow its reach and promote its message that sports and academics are stronger together. The program is free, community-focused, and built on the belief that kids learn best when they’re having fun.
More information about SmartPlay360, including photos and videos of past sessions, can be found at smartplay360.com and on Instagram at @smartplay.360.
