FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Contact: Madison Wiberg

[email protected]

Highlights importance of STEM Education to U.S. National Security

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mike Gallagher announced that Wesley Jochman and George McCray from Fox Valley Lutheran High School won the 2018 Congressional App Challenge for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District. Wesley and George created the Spartan Encryption app to securely store people’s sensitive information, such as logins and passwords. Their work comes at a critical time as individuals and businesses in Northeast Wisconsin and across the U.S. are experiencing an increasing number of cybersecurity breaches.

In a video congratulating Wesley and George on their winning app, Rep. Gallagher highlighted the importance of their work to the future of America’s national security:

“Particularly as we think about our country’s long-term competition with other countries like China, it’s incredibly important that we maintain our technological edge. Our open economy and innovative spirit have been important sources of our strength relative to our competitors, and it’s absolutely critical that we maintain them. I salute Wesley and George for being among the best and the brightest to work on these challenges, and I look forward to seeing their future innovative ideas.”

Click here for video of Rep. Gallagher discussing the app challenge.

Click here for video of George and Wesley explaining their app.

Background: The annual Congressional App Challenge is a nation-wide effort to spur interest in coding, STEM, and computer-science education among middle and high school students. Congressional App Challenge winners will be invited to Washington, D.C. in the Spring of 2019 to showcase their apps at the #HouseofCode event in the U.S. Capitol.

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