January 26, 2022
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| left-Micah Collete, middle- Mikela Nelson, right- Avery Johnson | left- Nicholas Tucker, right- Jamarion Gipson, not pictured- Jalen Rees |
JPS scholars enrolled in the Simulation and Animation Design Program at the Jackson Public Schools Career Development Center created a national award-winning app for the 2021 Congressional App Challenge. Micah Collette, Avery Johnson, and Mikela Nelson won first place in the competition, while Jamarion Gipson, Jalen Rees, and Nicholas Rees won second place. Congressman Bennie Thompson, US House of Representatives for Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District, will recognize these scholars for their achievement.
This is the fifth consecutive year that scholars from this program have received recognition for winning first place in this national challenge. This year's winning app, called Kandl, is designed to help people who struggle with social anxiety and other related disorders. Kandl's primary focus is to support the mental health of individuals, primarily in their teenage years. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost 1 in 3 teenagers ranging from ages 13-18 are expected to suffer from social anxiety.
The Congressional App Challenge encourages thousands of students nationwide to learn to code. With the support of their members of Congress, students across the nation have produced apps annually that address local, national, and global problems. Each year, the competition has increased in the number of Congressional hosts and diverse student participants from underrepresented communities. The Congressional App Challenge winners from across the country will be invited to showcase their apps to their members of Congress and members of the tech community virtually at #HouseOfCode during a reception on Capitol Hill to be held in Spring 2022. #HouseOfCode is a celebration of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge winners. During this celebration, students will have the opportunity to participate in numerous activities facilitated by representatives from some of the country's leading tech companies.
