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CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering Students Win 2017 Congressional App Challenge
(WASHINGTON, DC) On Dec. 7, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that a team of students who reside in Suffield have won the 2017 Congressional App Challenge for the Second Congressional District of Connecticut. The students are seniors Marissa Guzzo and Alexandra Smith, and sophomore Gianna Guzzo from the CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering in Windsor. Their app, titled Feel Good, is designed to help people struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and stress find some relief through music, games, and other means. The National Congressional App Challenge is designed to inspire high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The competition is also intended to demonstrate the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and encourage students to enter these career fields. This week (December 4-8) has been designated as Computer Science Education Week. “I am pleased to announce that the winners of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge for Connecticut’s Second Congressional District are Gianna Guzzo, Marissa Guzzo, and Alexandra Smith from Suffield,” said Courtney. “We had a number of exceptional submissions to the Second Congressional District App Challenge this year, but our team hailing from Suffield stood out. Our panel of judges from the University of Connecticut were convinced that the winning app showed both an advanced understanding of computer programming and a determination to improve the lives of people suffering with various mental health conditions. I applaud all three of the winning students, and all of the students who participated in the competition this year for their time and dedication in creating these incredible programs. “The National Congressional App Challenge is designed to engage high school students in computer science and teach them how to code by creating their own applications. We need to demonstrate the value of computer science and STEM education generally in order to encourage more young people to enter these fields.” The 2017 Congressional App Challenge was open to all U.S. high school students in participating congressional districts and one winner was selected per district. Challenge participants were invited, either as individuals or as teams of up to four students, to create and submit their own software application, or ‘app’ for mobile, tablet, or other computing devices on a platform of their choice. In the Second Congressional District, the submissions were judged by faculty members from the University of Connecticut.
For more information, contact Tim Brown, communications director, Office of Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), at (202) 225-2076 or Tim.Brown2@mail.house.gov.
