Charlottesville, Va., Jan. 20, 2017 – In partnership with Mozilla, St. Anne's-Belfield School will host its second annual SPARK! high school hackathon on Jan. 28 and 29. More than 65 students are expected to join the event from 16 regional high schools including Albemarle High School, Blue Ridge Virtual Governor's School, Charlottesville High School, and St. Anne's-Belfield School among others.
"We at Mozilla are thrilled to team up with local organizations and St. Anne's-Belfield to explore the Internet of Things with area youth," said Mozilla curriculum developer Chad Sansing. "Our network exists to champion internet health and the open web through this kind of collaboration with local leadership and learning. We are excited to discover what SPARK attendees will design and prototype next."
Mozilla will co-design the event and focus its learning and making on Internet-connected devices, or the Internet of Things (IoT), an emerging field in need of diverse voices, designers, and stakeholders. Attendees will learn how to connect devices like lights, speakers, and screens to apps that can be controlled from the web.
The SPARK! Hackathon mission is to connect students throughout the region with industry experts and other students who are passionate about changing the world through technology. It will include 35 mentors from 25 community organizations, as well as seven high school mentors. QIM, WillowTree, UVA BME, and Locus Health are returning as sponsors along with additional support from Perrone Robotics and SmartCville.
The event will end with a "Demo Party" on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in which all participants present the work they have undertaken throughout the weekend.
LOCATION: 799 Faulconer Drive (Learning Village Auditorium)
DATE: Saturday, Jan. 28 & Sunday, Jan. 29
TIME: Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m, Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Coverage of this event is encouraged. Please coordinate with Beth Stefanik, contact details above, by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27.
