Niceville High School students Gabe Jacobs and Hannah Castor, along with their web programming instructor Carrie Foxhall, had the opportunity to showcase their award-winning “Coastal” app at the Congressional App Challenge held at the US Capitol in November.

The Coastal app, designed and programmed by Gabe and Hannah, aims to educate locals and tourists about the dangers of the beautiful Emerald Coast waters. Using an application programming interface (API), the app provides real-time updates on rip currents, water conditions, flags, and tides along the Florida coast, along with information on how to swim out of a rip current and other essential water safety tips. The app also includes a map with lifeguard location points and allows users to report weather conditions affecting their local area.

At the competition, students from across the nation presented their apps, and Gabe and Hannah’s Coastal app received incredible feedback at their Capitol presentation. They also had the opportunity to meet with Representative Matt Gaetz, who expressed his support for the app and encouraged them to present it to the local Tourist Development Council.

“We are incredibly proud of Ms. Foxhall, Gabe, and Hannah for their accomplishments and for representing our District and Career Technical Education (CTE) at the national level,” said Superintendent Marcus Chambers. The mission of the Congressional App Challenge is to inspire and innovate efforts around STEM, coding, and computer science education.

For more information on the Congressional App Challenge, visit https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us.