WACO, Texas — Midway High School junior Stephanie Starks has created an award-winning app, educating others on the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem.
She explains how bees, Monarch butterflies, and certain types of bats migrate to different parts of the country to pollinate things like the crops we eat to create a healthy environment.
- Stephanie is a junior at Midway High School
- Her original "Pollinator Party" app was designed to educate about the importance of pollinators such as the bees and the Monarch butterfly
- The 2.0 version of the app has a new pollinator addition: bats
- The Congressional App Challenge is hosted annually by members of the U.S. House of Representatives in districts across the country with the goals of encouraging students to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science.
Watch Heather learn about how the app works:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It’s a topic that’s near and dear to Midway junior Stephanie Starks.
“I feel like so many people don’t realize that bees are endangered and things like air pollution and not being able to pollinate these crops affect that,” Starks said.
So she's turning that passion into a winning project.
“I decided to combine my love of coding and my love of agriculture to create Pollinator Party,” Starks said.
Pollinator Party, winning Stephanie first place in the Congressional App Challenge in Texas’ 17th congressional district.
“Mr. Pete Session’s office hosts this award every year,” Starks said.
“This is an opportunity for young kids to present issues to Congress through their love of making apps,” she added.
The issue she presented: the importance of pollinators.
“Pollinators pollinate roughly 80% of our crops,” Starks said.
“Maybe not necessarily here as much, but in Mexico and other areas, there are so many sound and air pollution that is not only affecting pollinators but also our environment,” she added.
The first version of the app she created educates on bees and the Monarch butterfly. The second version includes bats.
“Not all bats are pollinators, but some species such as the Mexican long nose are pollinators and they disperse seeds that create good crops that we need in our society,” Starks said.
Her achievements are making all of Midway High School proud, especially her teacher.
“Not only am I proud of Stephanie for her ability to code, but also in her willingness and desire to try new things to step out to do those, to present herself, her school district, her teachers, all of us in such a great light,” said Bruce Williams, Computer Science Teacher at Midway High School.
Being a bright light, with a bright future ahead.
“I’ve been able to tell people about this really cool part of our ecosystem and I feel like I’ve gotten to learn so much more about it,” Starks concluded.
