WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08) announced that Ayden Yeung of Wheaton High School and Julian Givens of Montgomery Blair High School have won MD-08’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge with ‘Better Buildings,’ an app that helps students, faculty and staff report problems with school facilities, bridging the gap between campus communities and administrators to maintain safer, cleaner and more functional school environments.
The announcement comes during Computer Science Education Week, an annual recognition of efforts to strengthen computer science education and technology literacy nationwide.
“Ayden and Julian didn’t just create a stellar app, they solved a problem, better connecting campus communities to their administrative leaders,” said Rep. Raskin. “I’m grateful to them and to all the students who participated in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for their tenacious creativity and vision. MD-08 proudly boasts numerous young tech talents who are already making a mark in our community and in our world. Congratulations, Julian and Ayden, you make our future bright.”
Better Buildings allows students to report problems in their school‚ like leaky faucets, broken stall doors, or missing hygiene items, directly to administrators, promoting quicker resolutions and clearer communications on repairs.
When students submit a report to Better Buildings, they are prompted to select the relevant issue area and can make edits to their reports in real time, before the job is completed. Students can also upvote and engage with other reports on the site and reflect community input to administrators. Administrators can track needed repairs and communicate progress to students in a direct and transparent way.
The Congressional App Challenge began in 2014 as an effort to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and to encourage students to learn coding and computer science skills. Students in participating congressional districts compete against their peers by creating original software applications (“apps”). Winning apps are featured on the U.S. House of Representatives' website, the Congressional App Challenge website, and are displayed in a U.S. Capitol Building exhibit.
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