Kenzie Oliver, a 9th grade high school student at Union High School, won second place in the high school division of the Regional SWVA Can Code Pitchfest on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at the regional competition at UVA-Wise.
Top medalists who attended the summer coding camp were invited to attend this regional competition. The high school division had 3 summer camps over the region and only first place students from each of the 3 camps were invited on the Main Stage to present their app design to a panel of judges from UVA-Wise. Kenzie won first place at the summer camp held at Union Middle School during the summer camp week (May 28-June 6), followed by a second place medal at the regional competition at UVA-Wise on Tuesday, August 26th.
Mrs. Varner, an 8th grade teacher at Union Middle School, fostered this opportunity for middle and high school students. Mrs. Varner highlighted Kenzie's app function: "Her app prototype was called “Helpful Hands”. It was designed to help teenagers sign up and do odd jobs for the elderly or disabled. In turn, this would help the younger generation earn money while learning responsibility and helping others in need. It featured a calendar for users to sign up for services like lawn care and pet sitting, and a chat feature for teenagers, with parent permission, to interact with those in need of basic services."
Varner went on to state, "This opportunity served as a great exposure to the college and the idea that a computer science major is an option when they graduate high school."
We are so proud of you, Kenzie! Congratulations!!!