CARLSBAD UNIFIED CONNECTIONS

The Congressional App Challenge

How did they spend their summer vacations? By Coding Their Way to Success!

Five Carlsbad Unified students dedicated their summer to participating in the prestigious Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition that encourages middle and high school students to learn coding and explore careers in computer science. Sponsored annually by Congressman Mike Levin in California’s 49th District, this challenge highlights young innovators for their outstanding App creations.

On December 20th, a special reception was held at the Coder School in Encinitas to honor the finalists, with District Representative Salome Tash presenting awards to these exceptional students from Carlsbad High School and Sage Creek High School. Their creative projects addressed real-world problems, ranging from supporting scholar-athletes and veterans to enhancing STEM education and robotics.

Here’s a look at their impressive work:

Kendra Ammon and Kiana Cheatham, Carlsbad High School seniors and scholar/athletes, created the P.E.A.K. App - Performance Education Athletics & Knowledge, an App tailored for students balancing academics and athletics. The P.E.A.K. App provides tools to optimize performance, including: expert advice on nutrition, strength training, and injury prevention; a calendar to manage busy practice schedules and assignments; a water and electrolyte tracker to ensure proper hydration; and other features to help student-athletes achieve their best on and off the field.

Arya Balenga, a Sage Creek High School (SCHS) sophomore, combined his robotics expertise with advanced decoding to develop an App for the FIRST Robotics Community, which includes over 700,000 high school students worldwide. His PSOforPID app integrates industry-grade algorithms and simulations to maximize robotics teams’ competition performance. Arya collaborated with five teams nationally, and even worked with MIT to create the application, which is now being used by teams across the country, with potential applications in manufacturing.

Tyler Kim, a junior at SCHS, built Periodic to make studying for the AP Chemistry test more efficient and effective. Tyler trained AI to summarize answers to test questions; built a molecule database with interactive 3D simulations; and created enhanced tools for solving molar mass problems and speeding up calculations. With unique text-based prompts like “?” and “$,” users can unlock expanded features, including a 3D visualization of organic molecules that can run seamlessly on any computer.

Advaith Akella, a SCHS junior, created VetConnect App, a comprehensive platform that connects veterans with vital local resources. Key features include: a directory of veteran service organizations, including job opportunities, financial resources, and health and mental health support services; a job board tailored to veterans; and an interactive chatbot for immediate assistance. This comprehensive app fosters community and ensures veterans receive the support that they need.

Celebrating Innovation and STEM Education

The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, emphasizing the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. The participating Members of Congress select winning apps from their districts, and the winning teams are invited to showcase their apps to Congress during the annual #HouseOfCode festival at the U.S. Capitol. Last year’s Congressional App Challenge saw 374 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions, and a remarkable 11,334 students from across the United States competing. The Congressional App Challenge awards the most prestigious prize in student computer science.

“Building an app from scratch is no small feat,” said Congressman Levin. “It’s incredible to see all the time and effort our students put in to create programs that help their communities.”

“These students are the best of the best. They worked all summer to create these apps using their coding skills,” said Saied Moezzi, Computer Science teacher at Carlsbad High School and Sage Creek High School. “I believe that what they have learned and what they have accomplished has been life-changing for them. Through our career pathways programs, we encourage students to seize opportunities, recognize their potential, and strive for greatness. As I tell them, ‘Life brings opportunities–Take advantage of them! Recognize the great mind you have!’”