CULLMAN, Ala. – A Cullman City Schools student won the statewide Governor’s App Challenge, a competition where students across Alabama were tasked with creating their own apps to showcase the use of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
West Elementary School fourth-grader Lauren Hughes came in first place in the elementary division in the competition at the Alabama Computer Science Education Summit in Montgomery. Her app, “Presidential Brain Busters,” challenged students with fun facts and trivia about U.S. presidents. She was able to showcase her impressive coding skills and creative problem-solving in not only coming up with the idea for the app, but literally building it herself.
Hughes is a shining example of what students can do through STEM education, and Cullman City Schools staff and educators are incredibly proud of her achievement, said a release from the school system.
The Governor’s App Challenge is a statewide computer programming competition for Alabama students. The goal of the challenge is to allow more students to gain recognition for their mastery and application of computer programming and design.
Along with Hughes, West Elementary sixth-grader Kinslee Barnett also competed at the statewide challenge with her app, “Daily Devotions.” Both Hughes and Barnett won at their school level and then won in their divisions for Cullman City Schools and at the Alabama School District 6 competition, which earned them both the right to compete at the state level in Montgomery.
Hughes and Barnett were among more than 20 students from the district who developed and designed their own mobile apps. Students worked with Misty Waldrop, Cullman City Schools technology integration coach, to develop their apps.
