The 4th Annual SPARK! Hackathon occurred on January 26 & 27, 2019. Four of our BRVGS students enthusiastically participated in this weekend-long event. They are Zachary Heidel (LCHS 12th), Jenna Valesquez (WMHS, 10th grade), Henry Pritchard (WMHS, 11th grade), and Tristan Montero (FCHS, 9th grade).

This two-day event of learning and making is open to high school students throughout the region.
The experience offers participants a unique opportunity to get connected to industry experts and other students who are passionate about changing the world through technology.

Here are some highlights below:

Zachary Heidel (Louisa, 12th grade) - The Hackathon was an incredible experience; my group was interested, motivated, and excited about our problem statement, and we collaborated more effectively than almost any group I have been in in the past. The initial workshops were interesting and engaging, and taught me about new software and ideas that I plan to further explore in the future. Our group's challenge, improving education, was relevant and wide enough that we could create a unique solution. My group worked on creating a project-based curriculum. I coded a class-matching program in Java to match students to the classes in the curriculum that best matched their interests and skills. Overall, the energy and enthusiasm for problem solving and learning was inspiring, and I highly recommend attending the Hackathon next year.