Texas Border Business
Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) will visit South Texas Independent School District’s (STISD) Mercedes complex on Wednesday afternoon to present awards to the top 10 winners of the annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC) competition for the 34th Congressional District of Texas.
This year, all top 10 winners are students at STISD Science Academy in Mercedes.
According to the CAC website, the CAC is hosted by Members of Congress for middle school and high school students to encourage participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, develop coding skills, and create original applications that better their communities. The CAC is one of the most prestigious national prizes for students in computer science.
The following is the agenda for the event:
- 1:30 p.m. – Congressional District personnel arrive at STISD Science Academy and tour the campus and Congressman Rubén Hinojosa Science Academy Innovation Lab.
- 2:05 p.m. – Award ceremony begins in BLA Lecture Hall with introductions: Dr. Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., STISD Superintendent; Eric Gutierrez, STISD Science Academy Principal
- 2:20 p.m. – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez speaks and presents certificates to top 10 winners.
- 2:50 p.m. – Closing ceremony speech by Mr. Gutierrez
- 3:00 p.m. – Photos
- 3:10 p.m. – Students and teachers return to class.
First-place winner Aaron Garza and his teacher Fernando Grimaldo are also invited to attend the national presentation to be held in Washington D.C. this spring.
The CAC was created with the mission to broaden access to computer science and STEM skills, as these crafts are becoming increasingly essential to both economic growth and innovation within the United States. Additionally, the CAC seeks to bridge the gender, geographic, and racial disparities that are currently prevalent in the tech industry at large. Through the CAC’s 9-year history, over 40,000 students across all 50 states found greater interest and accessibility to code their futures.
| When: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24 2024 |
| Where: South Texas Independent School District’s Mercedes Complex – Mile 2 West and Expressway 83 Mercedes |
| South Texas ISD Science Academy – 900 Med High Dr. Mercedes |
| South Texas ISD Biblioteca Las Americas – 300 Med High Dr. Mercedes |
