For teens encountering real-life challenges, many may use their smartphones to find help. For seventh graders in the Normandy Schools Collaborative, they did more than visit the app store. They designed the app themselves.
Seventh graders at the Normandy 7th-8th Grade Center recently participated in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Business Expo. The result of a partnership with Normandy, NFTE and Verizon, these middle schoolers are learning an entrepreneurial mindset and app building through Startup Tech, an app development program.
“Startup Tech asks student to identify ways to improve their world and build marketable digital solutions,” said NFTE St. Louis Director Angela Lewis. “For the Expo, every student creates an app, develops an abbreviated business plan and marketing materials, and pitches their idea.”
Students were charged with developing apps to help solve real-world problems. They confronted serious societal and health issues, developing apps to combat crime, bullying and asthma.
Passion Bragg, career pathways teacher at the Normandy 7th-8th Grade Center, sought programming experts to assist her students. She approached Launch Code for volunteers, and Launch Code connected Bragg to technology firm Blue 1647, a Chicago-based tech firm that works to spread technology skills to underserved communities.
“I wanted the students to have the best experience,” Bragg explained. “Blue 1647 was able to work with the students and really help them understand what the project is all about.”
Jason Ivie of Blue 1647 taught students the basics of the app-building language, referred to as coding. Students used the programming software Java for Android apps.
“All the students showed a lot of promise and were really focused,” Ivie said. “There were some tough days, but we hope this will get them to really thinking about coding.”
Bragg offered this opportunity to any student who had an interest.
“Because of this program, two of our eighth grade students went on to participate in hackathons (competitions where students break into computer programs by using coding skills),” Bragg said. “There is so much opportunity in this field and because it’s growing and developing, want to expose as many students to the possibilities.”
Student teams presented their apps to a panel of judges, who determined the Expo winner. The judges included staff members with the Normandy Schools Collaborative, Jennings School District, and representatives from NFTE and MasterCard International.
The winners were: 3rd Place – Normandy PBIS, an anti-bullying app (team members: Ashlee Lotts, Se’maj Nelson, Ky’Shon Thompson); 2nd Place – Anonymous, an anonymous crime reporting app (team members: Arianna Lee, Brandon Stephens, Diamond Robinson); and 1st place – Attack Asthma, a health information app (team members: Keejia Hill, Angelique Davis). Each of the teams that placed received a cash award. The fourth place team was also recognized with a prize.
