USANewsOnline.Com Desk, Bronx, NY – Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, the Horace Mann School, Alexander Capelluto Foundation, and Stack Overflow host week-long Hack the Bronx, an online hackathon that began Monday, December 5th and will conclude Sunday, December 11, 2022, with an emphasis on broadening access to digital tools and improving the Bronx community through the innovation of young Bronx talent. High school and middle school students, who identify as part of the Bronx community will work in groups or individually to develop an innovative idea addressing an aspect of their community that needs improvement. Then they will combine their knowledge of computer science, problem-solving, and effective teamwork to create a digital tool that addresses the identified problem.

Hackathon Subcategories:

There are two subgroups of “Hack The Bronx”:

- Beginners - The beginner level of “Hack The Bronx” will focus on participants with less experience with programming. Primarily using Scratch, a block-based programming language, or the basics of web design/python, participants will create projects to demonstrate their creative ideas.

- Programmers with Experience: - This level of “Hack The Bronx” will be centered around participants who have a stronger understanding and experience with programming. Using a variety of different text-based programming languages, participants will implement their ideas and create a workable prototype.

- Each project will be evaluated for the innovative content of the solution and the feasibility of implementation. - There will be prizes for the winners and runner-ups of each category.

“There is so much talent in our borough, and I am so proud to partner with the Horace Mann School, Alexander Capelluto Foundation, and Stack Overflow to highlight the creativity of our youth in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “Our youth have so much potential, and when given the tools to succeed, they will excel.”

“I am so excited to be working with the Borough President's Office to reach students throughout the Bronx,” said Sophie Willer-Burchardi, a student at Horace Mann School in the Bronx.

"I am extremely excited to see all the amazing projects that talented Bronx youth come up with," said Caroline Willer-Burchardi, student at Horace Mann School in The Bronx.

This year, Hack the Bronx will be entirely online. Opening ceremonies will be held Monday, December 5th via Zoom at 5:00 PM and the competition will end Sunday, December 11th at 5 PM. Closing ceremonies with the announcement of the winners will be held Saturday, December 17th at 5:00PM. Below is the Zoom link for both ceremonies:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89812864647 

Online workshops will also be held during the week if participants require tech support. Communication with participants will be monitored through a Discord server, and final submissions will be uploaded on Devpost. Winners receive $500 amazon gift cards, headphones, and more. For more information, go to HackTheBronx.com or email [email protected].