{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sablan.house.gov/press-release/kilili-villarmero-bunts-anderson-win-nmi-congressional-app-competition", "Kilili: Villarmero, Bunts-Anderson win  NMI Congressional App Competition", "2017-11-30", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "MP", "Gregorio Sablan", "S001177", "sablan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Daniel Villarmero and Chenoa Bunts-Anderson of Marianas High School are the winners of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge, Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan announced today. The Villarmero and Bunts-Anderson team bested 12 other submissions in the Northern Mariana\u2019s district-level competition.\n\u201cAll of this year\u2019s entries to the App Challenge were very creative and innovative\u2014a great showing for the promise of STEM education in the Northern Marianas,\u201d Congressman Sablan said.\u00a0\u201cEvery one of the students who dreamed up a concept and programmed an app can be proud of their work.\u201d\nSelection of the winning entry was made by judges Renee Bochman of the tech company LevelTrigger and Marc Boumedine of the University of the Virgin Islands.\nMr. Villarmero and Ms. Bunts-Anderson\u2019s app, called \u201cThe Student Companion,\u201d is web-based and gives students a set of tools to help with their studies.\u00a0Tools include a task manager with reminders, and a relaxation page that utilizes calming images and soothing music to help students rest during study breaks.\nThe two Marianas High School seniors worked as a team on \u201cThe Student Companion,\u201d as did most of the 22 students who entered their work in the App Challenge. Daniel and Chenoa will now receive national recognition and their app will be eligible for display in the U.S. Capitol.\nAlong with winners of the App Challenge from across the country, the Marianas team will also be invited to attend the House of Code reception, scheduled for early spring next year in Washington D.C., where they will be honored for their work.\nAlso receiving notable mentions: in second place, The Thought Bubble by Ms. Joanie Paraiso of Mount Carmel School, is an app that assists creative writers with writing tips and story ideas. In third place, Pocket Homework by Ms. Tawnie Manibusan and Ms. Cassidy Torres of Mount Carmel School, is an assignments tracking application specifically designed for student\u2019s smart phones.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\nThis is the third year that Marianas students have accepted Kilili\u2019s invitation to take the Congressional App Challenge. The competition is open to all high school, middle school, and elementary students and is intended to encourage student creativity and participation in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Students may enter apps for a variety of platforms, such as web browsers, smart phones, or desktop and laptop computers.\nTo view \u201cThe Student Companion\u201d go to https://youtu.be/JiTV6ZKierc\n\u201cThe Thought Bubble \u201c go to https://youtu.be/Ze6i-hfLrP4\n\u201cPocket Homework\u201d\u00a0 go\u00a0 to https://youtu.be/Ih-CrnJ2ajI\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sablan.house.gov/press-release/kilili-villarmero-bunts-anderson-win-nmi-congressional-app-competition"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9354352951049805, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}