Sophia Gianotti, Claire Lau and Angelica Talevi in Years 4 and 5 were given twelve weeks to create and pitch an app, including writing the code, designing a business plan and making a demonstration video.
The Reading Republic app is designed to encourage children to read in a fun and interactive way, and was inspired by the girls’ love of reading. The students worked with a variety of media and attended weekly coding lessons.
The girls were initially State Finalists and then went on to take out first prize at the National Competition. The competition provides support and mentorship to girls interested in pursuing careers in IT.
They were teamed up with mentor Monica Wulff, CEO of Startup Muster, a company which advises start-up businesses. They were also invited to interview a senior executive from Google at a special event.
St Philip Neri continues to focus on helping students develop their creative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the lens of Science and Technology.