Middle School Team Creates Smart Phone App for Georgia SPCA and Wins State Competition

Team Now Looks to Present Their Solution at Global Finals

DULUTH, Ga., March 15, 2014 – A small group of middle school students recently launched a smart phone app they created on behalf of the Georgia SPCA. The team created the app as a community service project through Destination Imagination, a competitive problem-solving organization.

The young students participated in the Project Outreach challenge for which they were to find a need in the community, create an imaginative solution, develop it and present their findings in competition.  Said Hayley Wright, a 12-year old Duluth Middle School student, “My brother went to app development camp over the summer, I went to Vet Camp at Tiger Tails Animal Hospital. When we got together with my friend LeeAnn, we came up with the idea of helping the SPCA.”

Available on iPhone, Android and HTML 5, the app allows users to search for available dogs and cats from the comfort of their cell phones. It also allows users to find area adoption events.

Part of the Destination Imagination challenge involved enlisting community partners to help with their solution. They also had to incorporate the use of a game in their solution in an effort to promote community.  The team decided they would conduct a social media scavenger hunt to promote the Georgia SPCA. They hid small, painted wooden dogs around Duluth and provided clues to their location on Facebook. When people found the dogs, they returned them to the SPCA office to receive a prize courtesy of Tiger Tails Animal Hospital.

Dr. Zack Mills of Tiger Tails suggested that the kids contact Whitty Apps, LLC to help develop their app. Charlie Whitfield, president of Whitty Apps, was initially skeptical when called by 13 year-old Zach Wright and 14-year old Matthew Jones. “Who are these kids calling me about having a hard time uploading a tool to Apple? Where is your mother?” she laughed.

But the boys eventually won her over and she provided the platform and training necessary take their project from the idea stage to acceptance on most smart phone platforms. “These earnest young men had so much passion and determination. How could I turn them down?” Whitfield added.

As per the rules of the challenge, the kids were fully responsible for the idea, and execution of their project. No adult interference is allowed, although community partners are allowed to offer general advice, training, materials and labor. The team’s manager, Stephanie Wright of Duluth said, “The most difficult thing about managing a team, is not interjecting your own ideas.”

The team – consisting of 7th graders - LeeAnn Lawrence, age 12; Maddie Painter, age 13; Caroline Vallance, age 12; Hayley Wright, age 12; and 8th graders – Matthew Jones, age 14; Ashley Sheridan, age 13; Zach Wright, age 14 – celebrated the launch of the app on all platforms just in time to present their solution at Destination Imagination State Competition where they took first place. All team members attend Duluth Middle School except Caroline Vallance, who attends Gwinnett Online Campus.

“Now we want to take our presentation to Globals,” said Vallance. The team is hoping to raise the funds which amount to approximately $1000 per team member. “We are excited that we are going to be able to help so many animals find their forever home and the more we share the app with others, the more people will use it to find their next pet.”

Destination Imagination Global Finals Competition brings together students from kindergarten to college to compete in a number of problem-solving categories. The organization supports STEM concepts, team work, and positive reinforcement as well as understanding that comes from international relationships.  More than 15,000 students will compete at Global Finals this year, on the University of Tennessee campus, May 21-24, 2014.

Whitty Apps, LLC develops custom smart phone applications for businesses in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

The Georgia SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is a non-profit pet rescue organization located in Suwanee, GA. Their Mission is to reduce the number of healthy animals euthanized in the State of Georgia by implementing successful adoption programs, and offering low cost spay/neuter to the public, and by promoting responsible pet ownership.

Tiger Tails Animal Hospital cares for cats, dogs and other small animals in Duluth, Georgia.