SE Kentucky News

U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) has announced the commencement of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for middle and high school students. This initiative offers a national platform for Eastern Kentucky students who are developing skills in coding and mobile app design.

“Eastern Kentucky students have submitted excellent mobile app demos for the Congressional App Challenge in recent years, proving our mountain students can compete at the highest levels of competition,” stated Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. “I’m always proud of the students who represent our region in Washington and I’m excited to see the apps that our students submit this year.”

Students from Belfry High School have won consecutively for the past two years. Last year, Belfry seniors Natalie Fite and Reese Varney created an app named CONNECT, designed to assist students with mental health needs by integrating creativity, community information, and mental health resources.

Each submission requires a student video tutorial of the app, including a demonstration of its creation process and functionality. Students may participate individually or in teams of up to four members. A panel of local judges will select the winning application from Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District to be showcased in Washington, DC during the annual #HouseofCode festival.

Congressman Rogers has partnered with Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) for this year's challenge to promote STEM education and computer science within Kentucky's Appalachian region. Participants will also be invited to display their work at the 2024 SOAR Summit in October in Pikeville, Kentucky before selecting the district's winning app.

Students interested in participating can register at congressionalappchallenge.us by October 24, 2024 at 12:00 pm/ET.

For more information about Congressman Rogers’ activities in Washington and Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media.