A group of middle school students from Woodhaven, Michigan, who invented a mobile app that keeps parents up-to-date with what their children are doing in school ended up winning $15,000 for the school they attend.

"The team from the Patrick Henry Middle School won the Ford STEAM Lab Challenge Hackathon held at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center in Detroit March 28, conducted by the Ford STEAM Lab, an educational program of the Ford Motor Company Fund," reported THE Journal. "Nearly 100 students from five middle schools in the Detroit metropolitan area participated in the two-day hackathon that tested their software coding skills and challenged them to produce, or "hack," an application. The winning team from Patrick Henry created an app that allows students, parents and teachers to access their curriculum when away from the classroom, in real time, and gives parents and teachers the chance to communicate with each other one to one."

Each student also won an additional $2,500 to apply toward their college education.

"Ford Motor Company Fund Multicultural Community Engagement Manager Shawn Wilson said that the students taught the company some valuable lessons as well: 'Utilize existing technology, develop flexible schedules so they can continue learning on their own time and improve ways to communicate outside the classroom,'" reported THE Journal. "Every team in the competition was invited to attend a one-week software coding class this summer at the Henry Ford College in Dearborn, MI, during which they will build their own Android apps from scratch. The competition, televised live on MSNBC, was judged by #YesWeCode founder Van Jones, Detroit Free Press Editorial Page Editor Stephen Henderson and MSNBC national correspondent Joy Reid."

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By Samantha DiMauro, Education World Contributor