Here are the champion app developers of Code-a-thon 2021
With the aim of introducing coding to school-going students Hindustan Times initiated its first initiative in 2020, which was known as HT Code-a-thon. The 2nd edition kicked off in August 2021 in collaboration with SpeEdlLabs. Other official partners include IBM, Intel, Hindu Tamil Thisai and Lufthansa Airlines were also the official partners. This edition witnessed a resounding success with more than 25,000 students from 2,200 schools all across India participating in it.
HT Code-a-thon 2021 introduced various aspects of coding through three age-appropriate modules which included App Development for Grades IV and V, Web Designing for Grades VI and VII and Game Designing for Grades VIII and IX. Divided into North and South zones, participants were provided with an extensive range of study materials, starting from video lectures to practice sets and quizzes.
Out of this 4-month-long coding programme, 18 winners emerged through 3 categories and across different zones. Read on to know about the experience of the top app developers of HT Code-a-thon 2021, primarily in the App Development section.
Mihika Ghai, Somerville School, Grade V, Noida
Rank: 1 (North Zone)
Mihika Ghai, a budding coder from Noida waited with anticipation an entire year to become eligible to participate in the HT Code-a-thon 2021. As the popular adage goes, patience is virtue. Mihika proved this to be true with a stellar performance which helped her secure the first rank! “The entire experience was awesome. I had no idea that I would win, I just looked at it as an opportunity to learn. The most thrilling part in the final was the event dashboard, where I could see my points and all my competitors in real time. It was incredible to be able to make so many coding projects on my own,” recalls Mihika. For her, the best part of this programme was learning app development with a hands-on approach and using blocks to code them out.
Champion’s Tips: Be committed and focus on what you are doing. It will take you a long way.
Aanya Singh, Little Flowers Public School, Grade V, Delhi
Rank: 2 (North Zone)
For Aanya Singh, a well-versed Scratch coder, the Code-a-thon was her very first introduction to app development. She was inspired to take up app development after closely watching her father, a software engineer, write the code for those that he developed. “Learning app development over the four months of Code-a-thon was extremely interesting. Keeping an eye on the leaderboard was a great motivation for me. When I noticed my points going lower, it would give me the push I needed to bounce back. Each time my points dropped, I pushed myself more,” says Aanya. She loved the innovative structure of the programme as well as the videos provided which were fun to watch, well-designed and self-explanatory.
Champion’s tips: If you want to be a good coder, be sure to work hard, follow the modules and prioritise tasks.
Samridhi Mehta, Delhi Public School, Grade 4, Noida
Rank: 3 (North Zone)
Samridhi was introduced to coding in school, and had dabbled in a few workshops here and there since then. However, her experience with Code-a-thon completely changed her perspective of coding. “The Code-a-thon encouraged me to dive deeper into the world of coding and learn. What set it apart from learning coding elsewhere was that it had an incredibly streamlined approach. The quizzes and videos were highly informative,” says Samridhi. Although she found the multiple-choice questions tricky, they were a great motivation for her to learn more.
Champion’s tips: Never underestimate the power of consistent practice. Even 10-15 minutes of practice daily helps a lot in developing your coding skills.
Ajaay Akaash, K.C High International School, Grade V, Chennai
Rank: 1 (South Zone)
Hesitant at first, the South Zone app development champion, Ajaay Akaash was nudged by his mother to participate in HT Code-a-thon 2021. However, it did not take too long for him to get hooked to coding. Ajaay particularly enjoyed solving the quizzes provided by Code-a-thon. “I loved doing the different quizzes which were available. They were pretty short, but still covered everything that we learnt. They were my go-to resources when it came to revision.” In the future, Ajaay hopes to create a two-player racing game app as an ode to his love for gaming.
Champion’s tips: Listen to the instructions given carefully, have a positive mindset and never give up.
Rajath Sukreeti B, Harvest International School, Grade IV, Bengaluru
Rank: 2 (South Zone)
For Rajath, the entire 4-month-long Code-a-thon experience was unique. What made it even more memorable was that this was his first national-level accolade! “I was always interested in coding. For a while now, I have wanted to create my own website. Code-a-thon helped me sharpen my skills further while providing a platform to actually apply what I learnt,” Rajath shares. According to him, the most challenging part was recollecting and remembering all the information and knowledge that he acquired during the tests and quizzes. His best takeaway was the SMS app that he created as part pf this programme. “I could not believe that it actually worked so well!” he says.
Champion’s tips: Avoid wasting your time by memorising everything. Just learn what needs to be learnt and apply it effectively.
Trisha Chauhan, Suyog Sundarji Wisdom School, Grade IV, Pune
Rank: 3 (South Zone)
Trisha was casually browsing through Facebook when she came across an advertisement for Code-a-thon. Having a few coding courses under her belt already, Trisha immediately signed up for the 4-month-long programme. “I have always had a keen interest in coding, and have wanted to develop my own app. The Code-a-thon was the perfect platform for me to explore this interest even further. I personally enjoy developing apps which can be used on a daily basis, such as a calculator app. In fact, my favourite memory from the entire 4-month experience was creating an SMS app. I was thrilled when I successfully sent my first message from my mobile phone through this app,” she shares. According to her, the finals were slightly challenging, but nothing was too far from her reach.
Champion’s tips: Prioritise the work which needs to be completed right away, learn to manage time and follow all the instructions properly.