On March 30 and 31 six students from St. Charles High School competed in the VelocityX: Climate Innovation Hackathon hosted by the College of Southern Maryland. The competition was held at CSM's Velocity Center in Indian Head. Twenty-five participants from CSM, local high schools and other colleges competed for prizes at the event. The EcoAlert Team from St. Charles won first place in the competition and received the grand prize. The Interactive Map App team from St. Charles placed third at the competition. Both teams were coached by Terence Stone, computer science teacher at St. Charles.

“The marketing team won the first-place prize and the data visualization team placed third in the challenge,” Stone said. “We are very happy with the results as they were unexpected.”

The EcoAlert team members are Dylan Bridgewater, junior; Nishta Patel, sophomore; and Zephaniah Seaforth, freshman.

The Interactive Map App team members are Neveah McKinney, senior; Miracle Washington, junior; and Thomas Willis, junior.

A hackathon is a social event during which people and teams work quickly and collaboratively to create functioning software or hardware by the end of the event. The CSM event featured two challenges that address climate change issues facing Southern Maryland and similar areas. These challenges were a marketing challenge and a data visualization challenge.

The marketing challenge required the participants to create a marketing plan that outlines strategies to communicate with communities about the challenges related to flooding and erosion in Southern Maryland. The data visualization challenge required participants to create data visualization tools that can help residents to better understand the risks and impacts of sea level rise in Charles County.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,598 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).