CHI St. Vincent Partners with LR School District for App Contest

As published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 11, 2019, by Cynthia Howell:

The Little Rock School District’s Forest Heights STEM Academy is working with the local medical center CHI St. Vincent on the “Appalooza” Mobile App Solution Competition, which is intended to build computer science and problem-solving skills among students.

CHI St. Vincent representatives met with seventh-graders from the school last week to provide three specific, real-world challenges in the health care industry. Students will work collaboratively in a “speed-apping” scenario to create and present mobile application solutions to those challenges, said Pam Smith, a spokesman for the Little Rock district.

“The Appalooza project aligns perfectly with our efforts to increase project-based learning opportunities to keep our students engaged,” Little Rock district Superintendent Mike Poore said, adding that the competition further highlights the capabilities of students at the award-winning school.

This is the first year for the “Appalooza” competition at Forest Heights. The inaugural year of the competition — which introduces students to career options and shows them how their academic learning is applied in the workforce — was made possible by an Arkansas Department of Education Innovation in Computer Science Grant.