On November 19, 2022, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) announced Niceville High School students Gabriel Jacobs and Hannah Castor as winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s First District.
The annual competition aims to encourage students to pursue careers in cybersecurity, computer science, and related fields by creating and programming applications using any coding language.
- Winners from each district present their work in Washington, D.C., the following year at the House of Code showcase.
The Niceville High School students, accompanied by their Web Programming Instructor Carrie Foxhall, attended the House of Code reception on April 17-18, 2023. Their winning app, “Coastal,” educates locals and tourists about the potential dangers of the Emerald Coast waters.
”Since I grew up here, I’ve constantly been scuba diving, surfing, and fishing on the coast,” said Hannah. “And like other locals, I’m well aware of the risk that beaches hold, such as strong currents in areas, or large waves.”
- As Hannah notes, tourists, however, are generally unfamiliar with the beach and its safety measures, and have poor knowledge of beach hazards like rip currents and breaking waves.
According to the duo, their app connects to the NOAA website, providing real-time updates on rip currents, water conditions, flags, and tides along the Florida coast via an application programming interface (API).
- The app also offers information on escaping rip currents and features a map of lifeguard location points, allowing users to report weather conditions affecting their local area.
Representative Matt Gaetz expressed his support for the app and encouraged Gabe and Hannah to present it to the Okaloosa Tourist Development Council.
And while the app is not yet available for download, the students hope to meet with the TDC soon and possible get it implemented locally first.
Superintendent Marcus Chambers commended the students and their instructor, stating, “Our talent in our school district never ceases to amaze me. We are incredibly proud of Ms. Foxhall, Gabe, and Hannah for their accomplishments and for representing our District and Career Technical Education (CTE) at the national level.”
- This marks the third time Niceville High School students have won the Congressional App Challenge in their district.
The 2022 Congressional App Challenge broke previous participation records, with 9,011 students registering and creating 2,707 fully-functioning apps for 335 Members of Congress across 50 states and U.S. territories.
