It took Chestnut Ridge Middle School seventh grader JT Vance only a few hours of his own time, but his recent creation could have far-reaching impact. Combining his love of coding and looking to bolster awareness of the District’s upcoming Helping Hands Hoagie Sale on Super Bowl Sunday, a fundraiser that benefits local families in need, Vance created a Snapchat filter that can be shared out with friends who also use the popular multimedia messaging app.
“I made a filter using Java script for the Hoagie Sale that has the logo and the text around it (like it appears on the hoagie sale t-shirt). It also puts a hoagie on your head,” said Vance, who knows 19 coding languages. “I had to code it so the hoagie would appear at a certain spot, a certain rotation. That took up the bulk of my time. Right now, anyone who scans the code can view the filter. I shared it with everyone I am friends with on the app. I thought my creation would be a good contribution to the sale.”
“The coding club is the brainchild of JT and his classmate and good friend Matthew Pagano,” District technology integration specialist and club adviser Elizabeth Pitel said. “They work together. They create lessons, and they run the coding club. They have been teaching kids in their free time after school. Typically, 20-35 students show up for coding club activities once-a-month. It’s just amazing to see what they create. What they bring to the table is better than what any adult in our building is able to do. We are just there to show support and help them flourish and grow.
“We have kids in here that are really creating and finding their own solutions to problems to help make the world a better place,” Pitel added. “Coding is about solving problems, and in this case, building awareness, trying to help raise money for a cause that supports, very specifically, members of our school and the community at large. I want them to get credit, because what they are doing is just amazing.”
District technology integration specialist tests out JT Vance’s snap chat filter that promotes the 26th Annual Helping Hands Hoagie Sale, which coincides with Super Bowl Sunday and benefits local families in need.
Wedgwood Elementary School third-grader Kevin Yankanich shows off the filter.
