(BARREN COUNTY SCHOOLS)
August 6, 2021 – For the second consecutive year, Rep. Brett Guthrie has named students from Barren
County High School winners of the Congressional App Challenge in (KY-02); this year’s winners are
Malena Hughes, Gracelyn Deweese, Cathern Goodman, and Collin Graves. Their ShowLocalTM app gives
consumers information regarding products, services, and businesses in rural communities.
When asked what inspired the creation of ShowLocal, the students said, “We found that, as a consumer,
it’s difficult to learn about a business, product, or service in rural communities. Therefore, we wanted
rural communities to have more access to make informed decisions.” The ShowLocalTM team was
formed by Barren County Entrepreneurship and BC Skills Development Academy students under the
direction of Amanda Wright (Business & Entrepreneurship) and Justin Browning, Project Manager of BC
Skills Development Academy.
Over 6,500 students registered for the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. These students created and
submitted 3,088 functioning apps, marking the end of an extremely successful Congressional App
Challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All told, 308 Members of Congress hosted Congressional App
Challenges in their districts across 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, and Washington, DC.
The CAC is an initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host
competitions in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to
code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. The Internet Education Foundation
provides the CAC with supplemental support. In the six years of the Congressional App Challenge,
thousands of functional apps have been created by over 30,000 students, and participant demographics
surpass all industry diversity metrics.