Computer programming students at Plymouth High School recently had some success in a statewide competition. A group of eight students under the supervision of Math Teacher Lindsay Moore took part in the IUPUI Mobile App Challenge on November 4. “Of that group, two small groups performed extremely well, finishing second and third place in their categories,” Superintendent Andy Hartley told the school board last week, “and the excitement that has been generated from that is quickly becoming contagious.”
The Mobile App Challenge gives high school students seven hours to design an app, based on assigned specifications. This year, students were tasked with creating an app that would help a team of paranormal investigators.
Junior Kobe Johnson and senior Isabel Nuñez came in third place with their app, Apparition. Meanwhile, junior Bridget Schafer and seniors Samuel Carroll and Borias Miller were awarded second place for their app, Inquiry.
During his comments to the school board last week, Hartley said the event was a good opportunity for students to apply what they learned in the classroom in a fun atmosphere. “Kids earned scholarships from that, as well,” he said. “Those who placed earned some gift certificates, as well as scholarships to IUPUI and their School of Informatics, so a tremendous opportunity. I really appreciate the teacher and kids taking their time to do that.”
School officials say the students had to design their apps without outside assistance. A team of judges then evaluated them for completeness, user interface, visual design, and technical fluency.
