OKALOOSA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
NHS Students Earn 1st Place
Okaloosa County School District students prove they have the skills to code Web apps during the 2018 Congressional App Challenge hosted this past weekend at the University of West Florida by Representative Matthew Gaetz.
The Congressional App Challenge is a national competition aimed at encouraging U.S. students to learn how to code by creating their own application. The challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM education and encourage students to engage in these fields.
Students across Representative Gaetz’s district competed in this year’s Congresstional App Challenge and had the opportunity to present their apps before the Representative and a panel of judges. Okaloosa County School District students finished in the top three places of the competition.
Mrs. Carrie Foxhall, Web programming instructor at Niceville High School, stated, “I am very proud of my students. This is the first year we competed, and now we know what to expect next year. All of the students worked hard on their apps, and I look forward to preparing them to be even stronger coders in the next competition.”
First place went to Joshua Delamater, Sam Cota, and Ethan Shelstad, Niceville High School Web programming students, who created “Vanguard Volunteering.” Their app helps students track their community service hours and find volunteering opportunities in the local area through Google maps. Vanguard Volunteering encourages volunteering among the community and calculates students’ volunteer hours so they may keep track for scholarship purposes.
Second place went to Collin Padgett, Maquire Holahan, Abbie Stanford, and Austin Mason, Niceville High School Web programming students. Their app, “Dear Senses,” was created for elderly/disabled people or even medical personnel to help determine if the individual may have problems with hearing, sight, or reflex before seeking medical help.
Third place went to Vincent Cipriano and Christian Jernigan, Crestview High School Web Programming students, who created a game for entertainment purposes.
Winners received prizes that consisted of cash, gift cards, and gift certificates and have the opportunity to attend a special reception scheduled to take place on Capitol Hill in April. Their app is also eligible to be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol and on the House of Representatives’ official Web site.