KWHS students win Wyoming’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge

CASPER, Wyo. — Two students from Kelly Walsh High School have been chosen as winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge.

That’s according to a release on the Natrona County School District website, which states that “their innovative app is designed to help students match their personality and interests with scholarships tailored to their academic goals.”

Emerson Levin and Haylie Williams were the creators of the app, and they designed it with the purpose of helping their peers and developing a tool that simplified the scholarship search process by helping its users find opportunities that align with their strengths and goals.

The release stated that the project highlighted Levin’s and Williams’s computer skills, academic excellence and commitment to helping their fellow students.

“I am so proud of Haylie and Emerson,” beamed Becky Byer, the KWHS Computer Science teacher. “They created an app that is meaningful and relevant for themselves and their peers. Their ingenuity and hard work make them a standout!”

According to the release, the Congressional App Challenge, which is hosted every year by the U.S. House of Representatives, was designed to help students learn how to code while also inspiring them to excel in the computer sciences.

Students develop their own technology and utilize it to design an original application that is submitted to a panel of judges.

Rep. Harriet Hageman’s staff presented Levin and Williams with the award, which recognized and celebrated their creativity, ingenuity and commitment to education excellence.

“This remarkable achievement highlights Emerson and Haylie’s dedication, creativity, and commitment to excellence for themselves and others,” said KWHS Principal Mike Britt. “Excellence is not just about what you do in the classroom but how you take initiative, collaborate, and lead in every aspect of your education. We are incredibly proud to call them Trojans, and we look forward to seeing their continued success!”

This is the fourth consecutive year that KWHS students have won the Congressional App Challenge.