Greeley Student Inaugurates ChappHacks Hackathon

CHAPPAQUA, NY — In 2016, when Rohan Acharya, now a junior at Horace Greeley High School, looked around to attend a hackathon in Westchester, he came up with nothing, and was forced to attend events in Boston and New York City.

"Given all the aspirations for tech, engineering, and innovation in our schools, I was a little stunned that we didn't have something local that went beyond high school coursework," said the founder of ChappHacks, a student club at Horace Greeley High School.

So he began the work of assembling a team to launch a hackathon. The first is set for June 9, 2019. His inaugural event is for students from Grade 7 - 12 (though there has been a call for younger children to have a division). So far registrations have come in from 20 different schools throughout the county.

"It's not like I had to convince kids that tech is cool or important," he said. "We just needed a place and a format."

The Chappaqua Central School District stepped up with a place, offering Robert E. Bell Middle School. The format was adapted from previous hackathons that Acharya had attended, taking into account the needs of local students.

Businesses have supported the effort as well, and there will be free food and a chance to win prizes.

"I don't think anyone who has been involved is surprised here. In a very short time, we were able to get everything we needed for an event that leverages the future innovators in our local schools," said Acharya of the organizing efforts.

To register as a participant or sponsor for ChappHacks, please go to www.chapphacks.org, or contact event organizers at chapphacks@gmail.com.

Editor's Note: Rohan Acharya is a junior at Horace Greeley High School. His status was incorrect in the original version of this article. Patch regrets the error.