Originally posted By Fleshman, Brook on April 02, 2019

Congratulations to our Middle School TAG Students! Students in the Middle School gifted program entered the FRS App Challenge where students were given the challenge of creating a new app or improving the idea of an existing app. PCR-I Middle School had two teams win 2nd and 3rd place!

The 2nd place team consisted of Dylan H., Logan W., and Albany W for their Paw Tag app and will each receive a $50 gift card. The 3rd place team consisted of Alexia M. and Haven S. for their safety threat app for women and will each receive a $25 gift card.

Thank you to NEMR Telecom for sponsoring our Putnam teams! Below is the full press release from FRS.

Foundation for Rural Service Names Winners of Second Annual Rural Youth App Challenge

Winning app enriches the rural community by providing access to local historical records.

Arlington, Va., (April 1, 2019)—The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is dedicated to improving quality of life in America by advancing an understanding of rural issues. In pursuit of this mission, FRS recently concluded its 2019 Rural Youth App Challenge, asking students to develop concepts for mobile apps that would address a problem or improve a process in their rural community or in rural America at-large. Each team was supported by a member of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association.

FRS is pleased to announce Jefferson Wings, a team of students sponsored by GRM Networks (Princeton, Mo.) is the 2019 FRS Rural Youth App Challenge winner. Five student team members will each receive a $100 Amazon gift card and a six-month subscription to Codecademy Pro, thanks to the sponsorships of NISC and Mapcom Systems.

Jefferson Wings’ app would include a directory of local records for Nodaway County, Mo., including accomplishments in sports, historical facts and familial documentation such as the family with the most children or the oldest member. According to the app designers, no such central repository for local history currently exists, and this app could bolster Nodaway County residents’ interest in and knowledge of their community.

Prizes were also awarded to the second- and third-place teams, both from Putnam County Middle School and sponsored by NTCA member NEMR Telecom (Green City, Mo.). The teams designed apps to help pet owners keep track of their companions’ medical histories and physical locations, and to help women in their community identify threats to their safety, respectively.

“The FRS team is thrilled to have a second successful year of the Rural Youth App Challenge under our belts. As with last year, the applications demonstrated the abiding passion and creativity that can be found in rural communities and schools across this country,” said FRS Executive Director Jessica Golden. “We thank the sponsors and collaborators who support this program and wish all the applicants the best.”

The Rural Youth App Challenge is the latest effort by FRS to support a high quality of life in rural America. In February, the foundation launched a new grant program to support veteran communities served by NTCA members that lack easy access to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics. In June, FRS will welcome dozens of high school students from rural areas to Washington, D.C., for its annual Youth Tour. You can read more about the App Challenge Winners and the work of FRS online.