Bellevue's Open Window School Seventh Graders win "Best in Nation" in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge

By way of video conference, a very excited group of seventh graders at Bellevue's Open Window School were announced "Best in Nation" winners in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge this week. There were an estimated 770 entries and the top eight winning teams will receive $20,000 towards the winning school's STEM program, in addition to professional support for the development of the app with a chance to make it available in the Google Apps store. 

The Challenge presented a 21st Century Learning opportunity for students, with the help of an advisor or teacher, to use STEM knowledge to create an app that would solve a real world problem in the community. Seventh graders were tasked by Advanced Technology teacher, Adrienne Gifford, to take on the Challenge this year. Students worked in groups of 5 or 6 to research local news stories and current available apps. The winning team determined a more robust and useful app for hiking in the Northwest could not only provide interesting details about area wildlife, but also a GPS and alert system that could help save lives. 

For more information on this story, visit openwindowschool.org.