Congressman Johnson announces Newton County Senior winner of the Congressional App Challenge

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) is proud to announce that Newton College & Career Academy senior Kevin Wadsworth of Covington is the winner of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge.

The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition showcasing the value of computer science and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education by encouraging students to learn how to code through the creation of their own apps.

“Science and technology are transforming our world and I’m proud of the students who go above and beyond their school’s curriculum and other every-day tasks to compete in the challenge,” said Rep. Johnson. “The app challenge allows us to showcase some of the Fourth Congressional District’s brightest young minds as they take on cutting-edge technology that is becoming an increasing part of all our lives.”

The winning app, “The Vent Box,” was created using Java Script and Block Code and was designed by the 17-year-old Wadsworth to be an app for all students that need to vent out any emotions and frustrations and get help for any type of feelings they are dealing with.

“My main inspiration to create this app was my own personal journey,” he said. “My own problems with emotions inspired me to create this app for myself and for others who may have similar obstacles to face,” said Wadsworth who is also a member of the school’s Embedded Computing class. “The Vent box includes resources to help you calm down when you’re feeling anxious, angry, depressed, and/or stressed. The vent box also offers information on different safety hotlines to use if you’re feeling irrational at a certain moment.”

Congressman Johnson’s Congressional App Challenge is open to all students in the 4th Congressional District of Georgia. Students were judged on the following criteria: Quality of the idea, including creativity and originality; Implementation of the idea, including user experience and design; and the ability to demonstrate their coding and programming skills.

The judges for this year’s competition included: Jason Freeman, Professor of Music at Georgia Tech, and Chair of Georgia Tech’s School of Music; Dr. Elaine Bryan, President & CEO of Global Education Consultants Group and Head Education Partner for Microsoft’s STEM program for high school and middle school students; and Kamal Carter, Former NIH Research Fellow and current education partner with NASA and the Fernbank Science Center. Karter is also President & Founder of “Step Ahead Scholar.”

Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, this nationwide effort allows students to compete against their peers by creating an application (app), or game for mobile phones, tablets, or computer devices. The challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in coding and computer science.

The winning app will be featured in the nation’s Capital building, at https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/ and on http://House.gov.

Congressman Johnson is also working on additional ways to celebrate Kevin Wadsworth and his app in the New Year. You can view the winning app, “The Vent Box,” here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p7mWjk-34bMffVOzuwXGxdCG8D8pEFoC/view.

“Everyone at Newton College and Career Academy, and the Newton County School System, are extremely proud of Kevin’s success in the 2022 Congressional App Challenge,” said Maureen Ryan, Eds, who encouraged Kevin to compete. “Kevin took inspiration from a moment of frustration and turned it into something witty and wonderful. That’s something to be proud of and an example we can all learn from. I am very fortunate to work with Kevin and all the many inspiring Associates at NCCA as they learn and lead us to a better tomorrow.”