Barrington High Teens Build Game App & Win Challenge

BARRINGTON, RI— It's called "Tap It," and U.S. Cong. David Cicilline says it's the future of Rhode Island. Cicilline traveled to Barrington High Monday morning to meet the game app creators and announce the 2016 winners of his First District Congressional App Challenge.

Four Barrington High School students -- Haotian Lu, Zijun Weng, Shiyuan Huang and Haoran Wen-- were recognized for designing and building the gaming app. They're all in the Advanced Placement Computer Science class.

Cicilline presented the winning students with citations on behalf of the United States House of Representatives and delivered a message about the importance of computer science for Rhode Island’s economy.

A video preview of Tap It is available online here. (Warning the music track in the first audio segment is a little loud.)

“These four students represent the future of Rhode Island’s economy," he said. With the explosive growth of digital technologies and high-tech industries across the country, it is vital that we continue to nurture the next generation of coders, engineers, and entrepreneurs right here in Rhode Island. Ensuring Rhode Islanders have access to good-paying jobs is always a top priority for me, and the Congressional App challenge is a great way to promote critical skills that help our students succeed.”

The Congressional App Challenge, coordinated by the Congressional Internet Caucus and the Internet Education Foundation, is a competition aimed at encouraging U.S. high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications, Cicilline's office said. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and encourage students to engage in these fields.