Newhouse Congratulates Kennewick High School Student Winners of Congressional App Challenge
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) announced the winners of the 2019 Central Washington Congressional App Challenge, an app competition for K-12 students. Three 12th graders of Kennewick High School and Tri-Tech Skills Center – Maxwell Blake, Preston Ryan, and Lucas Kaser – have been named the competition winners. Their winning app, Clean Streets, aims to bring awareness to the environment and teaches users to separate items that are recyclable from those that are simply trash. Click here to see a preview of the winning app.
"Congratulations to Max, Preston, and Lucas on their winning app, Clean Streets!" Rep. Newhouse said. "I am always impressed by the technical knowledge, skills, and creativity demonstrated by Central Washington's students who submit to the App Challenge, and it is encouraging to see so many supported by strong STEM education and computer science programs. I am confident we are cultivating the next-generation of innovators, and I look forward to seeing the bright futures Max, Preston, and Lucas ahead of them."
The winning app was selected by a panel of local judges and will receive a prize tour of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The winners will also share Amazon Web Services credits donated by Amazon for the challenge. The winning app will be featured on a video display in the U.S. Capitol building, as well as House.gov and the Congressional App Challenge website.
Background:
The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) was created because Congress recognized that Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education skills are essential for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. has been falling behind on these fronts. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are projected to grow by 17% between 2008 and 2018, compared to 9.8% growth for non-STEM occupations. According to some estimates, the U.S. may be short as many as 3 million high-skilled workers by 2018. To maintain American competitiveness, it is crucial that the U.S. industry invest in our youth now and help them acquire necessary STEM-based skills. The CAC highlights and encourages students to pursue those skills.