Holmdel Teen Named Among Congressional App Challenge Winners

HOLMDEL, NJ - The winners of the New Jersey Fourth Congressional District Congressional App Challenge were recently announced by U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), with teens from Freehold, Marlboro, Spring Lake, Holmdel, Manasquan, Middletown and Tinton Falls earning the top spots.

The contest is part of a nationwide competition for middle school and high school students to demonstrate their software app-developing skills and teamwork.

The winning app, dubbed CollabraCart, was created by three Communications High School students. Erin Hardiman of Spring Lake, Melody Lin of Freehold and Jacob Rosegarten of Marlboro took home the prize, according to a news release.

“I am pleased to congratulate all the winning students at Communications High School,” Smith said. “The winning app, CollabraCart, is very timely in the COVID era in which we find ourselves. It can match people who are struggling to purchase groceries with individuals who are seeking to donate their time and/or money to help them."

The highest scoring app from each congressional district is eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and featured on the House of Representatives’ website, according to the news release. The winning teens will be invited to a virtual HouseOfCode Festival reception in the spring, with the winning app receiving a $75 credit for Southwest Airlines.

“During these unprecedented times when many of our fellow New Jerseyans are struggling to maintain their livelihood and feed their families, it was great to see Melody, Erin and Jacob work together and develop an app that will help others in our community,” Smith continued.

Brigid McCarthy of Manasquan, Abi Cohen of Marlboro and Rina Peshori of Holmdel took second place for their app Green Garden, which sees users take care of and grow their own virtual garden while learning how to help insect populations.

Nate Riehl of Manasquan, Ava Turner of Middletown and Jake Polvino of Tinton Falls earned the third place slot for their app Roomiez, an app that helps college students find roommates.

29 students from New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District participated in teams and solo projects to design nine applications for the annual contest. Students from Communications High School, located in Wall Township, swept all three top prizes.

According to the news release, more than 91 percent of participants reported that they intend to continue coding, and 95 percent of the students said they are more likely to pursue a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) after participating in the Congressional App Challenge.

Middle school students and high school students from the Fourth Congressional District interested in participating in the 2021 competition may contact Smith’s Freehold Township office at (732) 780-3035 or visit www.congressionalappchallenge....