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Lyme, NH –– A group of students from Crossroads Academy in Lyme, NH, has earned one of 24 Best in Region awards in the third national Verizon Innovative App Challenge.

The student team came up with an app concept called TempUsHomework that helps teachers and school administrators ensure that students have a reasonable workload by allowing them to monitor students’ homework assignments, projects and upcoming tests across all classes. Teachers login to the app to enter the project they have assigned in class, along with an estimated amount of time the assignment should take to complete. Students can also log in to record assignments they are working on, assignments they have completed, and how much time they spent on each assignment.

This app provides parents, teachers and school administrators with information regarding the amount of time a student is spending on his/her workload and involvement in extracurricular activities, and can help students better manage their time. “It is interesting to note that these middle school students grasped the symbiotic relationship between teachers and students. Students receive continuous feedback and learn at a rapid rate, in part, due to this factor. This app capitalizes on the notion that teachers would benefit equally from being a part of an integrated feedback loop,” remarked Jean Behnke, Head of School, Crossroads Academy.
The team won two rounds of judging. The Best in Region winners were selected from more than 1,099 app concepts submitted by school teams nationwide.

Under the Innovative App Challenge, middle- and high-school student teams were asked to design a mobile application concept that addresses a need or problem in their local schools or communities.

The Verizon Innovative App Challenge was created in partnership with the Technology Student Association in response to a critical need to inspire student interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Student interest and proficiency in STEM has been stagnant in the United States, especially among women and minorities, although 80 percent of all jobs over the next decade will require STEM skills. Currently, 3 million STEM jobs are unfilled in the U.S., and occupations related to STEM are projected to increase to more than 9 million by 2022.

Verizon is committed to improving student engagement and achievement in STEM by infusing technology into the classroom through a variety of initiatives. The Innovative App Challenge focuses on identifying concepts for mobile apps and encourages students to learn about app development. Because mobile devices and apps play a leading role in the lives of young people today, app development is an effective way to engage them, transforming them from users of technology to creators. Teaching app development empowers students to become builders of technology solutions to everyday problems.

More than 90 percent of the winners from last year’s Innovative App Challenge expressed interest in pursuing STEM careers after learning coding and launching their winning app in the Google Play store. Roughly 70 percent reported increased creativity, teamwork and communication skills, and content knowledge.

“We congratulate Crossroads Academy’s students for taking on the App Challenge, proposing great concepts and solutions to a real-world issue, and earning their school recognition and a grant along the way,” commented Christine Berberich, president of the New England Region for Verizon Wireless. “The App Challenge tests writing, presentation and critical-thinking skills, all of which are crucial to success in the classroom and beyond. Over the years New England schools have had particular success in the App Challenge, and Crossroads Academy’s advancement reinforces that the next generation of innovators is learning right here in our own backyard.”

The 24 winning teams – 12 each from middle and high schools – represent the West, Midwest, South and East regions. Each Best in Region team has earned a $5,000 cash grant for its school to further develop or support a STEM program.

To see the list of the Best in Region winners, visit http://verizon.com/appchallenge.

 

About Crossroads Academy
Crossroads Academy is committed to academic excellence and moral integrity. It inspires its students to love learning, act honorably, and contribute actively to intellectual, cultural, and civic life.Founded in 1991 by Mary Beth Klee, Crossroads Academy is an independent, coeducational day school for students in kindergarten through grade eight. Crossroads sequential, classic curriculum is based on the Core Knowledge philosophy as developed by E.D. Hirsch, and on the Core Virtues Program, a character education program created by its founder. According to Head of School Jean Behnke, “Our practices and our campus support our engaging and experienced faculty in delivering these two programs to our student body. Upon graduation, our students attend the finest public and private high schools in New England.”In 2004, Crossroads was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), whose visiting committee noted, “Students at Crossroads Academy appear happy to be there…[they are] actively engaged in their work with a sense of fun, respect, curiosity, and enthusiasm.”Crossroads enrolls approximately 120 students from within a 50-mile radius. Students are drawn from numerous Upper Valley communities including Lyme, Hanover, Canan, Orford, Lebanon, Piermont, Monroe, Grantham, Enfield, Grafton, and Warren in New Hampshire, and Norwich, Thetford, Fairlee, Topsham, White River Junction, Vershire, and Woodstock in Vermont.

About the Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company’s innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, healthcare and energy management.  Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon’s employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.8 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities.  For more information about Verizon’s philanthropic work, visit www.verizon.com/about/responsibility; or for regular updates, visit the Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

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