Hersey’s 3rd annual Hackathon sparks innovation, collaboration
A day of coding and collaboration unfolded at John Hersey High School as the third annual Hackathon brought together more than 70 students from Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and surrounding suburbs. With the theme “educating others,” students of all experience levels took on challenges, developing everything from apps to websites in a fast-paced, 12-hour coding marathon.
Ali Alchikh Ibrahim, a Hersey junior who codirected the event, shared his passion for coding and the impact it has had on his career aspirations.
“I’ve loved coding since the end of sixth grade,” he said. “I plan to go into the AI health care industry in the future, so hackathons like this help me build character, collaborate with others and prepare for the career I'd like.”
Matthew Lundeen, a Prospect senior and co-director of the event, has been passionate about coding since experimenting with Scratch in elementary school.
“I love using coding to solve problems and changing many aspects of life for the better,” he said. He views coding as a way to drive change in education and improve the learning experience for students.
Throughout the event, students were encouraged to work on projects that would help others learn, with some even integrating advanced technologies. One example of the innovative projects was a drawing board integrated with ChatGPT, designed to enhance learning experiences.
Hersey computer science teacher Bob Brown described the event as a rare and valuable experience for high school students.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for students from beginner to advanced levels to work on something they’re passionate about,” Brown explained. “While college hackathons exist, there aren’t many at the high school level, making this a great chance for students to be around peers with similar interests.”
The event was fully student-run, with participants from schools such as Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and Prospect joining forces. Ali emphasized that the hackathon provided an incredible opportunity to collaborate and make a positive impact.
“One of my goals in life is to help others build their lives in the way they’d like,” he said. “This event is a great start for students looking to get into coding.”
Throughout the day, students participated in educational sessions, including one on website authentication led by a professional in the field and another with former Meta engineer, Larry Schrof. The event catered to all skill levels, providing workshops for newcomers as well as more advanced topics for experienced coders.
As the event came to a close, Ali shared his hope that the experience would inspire students to continue pursuing coding and technology.
“I hope to at least have changed a few people’s lives with coding and given them a head start for the future,” he said.