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FCPS: Seize the Moment

Inspire our students to create and innovate with AI

Seize the Moment is a culminating event celebrating the FCPS Student AI Innovation Challenge sponsored by FCPS DIT, Playlab, and Amazon (AWS). For this challenge, students learned about AI to design real-world solutions. Join us for this project showcase and finalist pitches before a panel of FCPS leaders and industry experts.

Seize the Moment Feb 17, 2026 Event Recording

These applications are academic prototypes developed by high school students to demonstrate conceptual problem-solving, responsible AI literacy, and the iterative design process. These projects serve as educational demonstrations of student learning and are not intended for commercial use, professional-grade deployment, or as a substitute for professional medical or mental health support.

For questions contact DIT_AI_TEAM@fcps.edu
FCPS Office  Office of Chief Information Technology
Our Partners

Student Project Showcase

CivicsLens
School:
Robinson Secondary School
Team Members:
Jackson Stear, Donovan Hogan & Surafael Melaku
Campus Coaches:
Donald Malkowski

CivicLens helps people better understand the news by comparing how the same topic is presented from different perspectives. It highlights biased language and summarizes multiple viewpoints so users can form their own informed opinions.

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Prep Up
School:
Madison High School
Team Members:
Clara Hatcher, Henry Mihalak
Campus Coaches:
Ginny Listman, Anna McDonald, Carol Dembicki & Derrick Rauenzahn

Have you ever been nervous for an interview but were unsure of how to start preparing? Prep Up helps students feel ready for important interviews by providing mock questions and personalized feedback based on your responses!

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Mental Mouse
School:
West Potomac High School
Team Members:
Aritra Barua, Marjan Raoufi & Marie Dobbyn
Campus Coaches:
Eric Evans

The objective of this app is to help those who cannot afford, or acquire resources for their Mental Health. The app will also give insight to those who fear receiving help on how the process is.

Physical Therapy with Stan
School:
South County High School
Team Members:
Minh Tran, Michael Cabrera & Khoi Nguyen
Campus Coaches:
Dan Velazquez & Leslie Lewis

The purpose of the Stan Chat bot is to provide rehab to users with minor musculoskeletal injuries or post-surgical rehab. There are many users who are low-income or are not available to provide for Physical Therapists. Through the use of Stan, users will be given specialized programs and exercises based on the user's state of injury.

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Find Your Home
School:
Chantilly High School
Team Members:
Arian Miran, Sahiti Tanuku
Campus Coaches:
Courtney Marshall, Karen Molloy, Emily Phelan, Kristen Schoenberger, Kristen Zemba

Find Your Home is an AI assistant that simplifies the complex U.S. housing market for everyone, especially first-time immigrants and underserved communities. It acts as "financial triage," assessing eligibility for housing programs, explaining terms like AMI in simple language, and providing personalized guidance. The multilingual AI makes housing accessible, clear, and fair for all.

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Karly
School:
Mt. Vernon High School
Team Members:
Aneeba Ahmed, Mia Liuksila & Karla Badoussi Donkpegan
Campus Coaches:
Ingrid Whalen

This app is designed to help people navigate friendships, improve their social skills, make new friends, find new opportunities for friends, and communicate more effectively.

Invest AI
School:
Hayfield Secondary School
Team Members:
Catalina Reyes, Evelina Tatevosyan & Daisy Sheldon
Campus Coaches:
Nicholas Shabrack, Michael Carfang & Seema Poputya

Invest AI provides investment plans with accurate and precise bonds, stocks, and other investment methods based on the user's goals, income, location, and other financial situation.

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PermitPartner
School:
South Lakes High School
Team Members:
Abidullah Ghani & Shaheer Salarzai
Campus Coaches:
Alan Klingensmith, Ana Viamonte & William Rice

This app helps you gather all required details for permit-ready, code-compliant architectural plans—tailored to your county’s regulations.

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PhishGuard AI
School:
Marshall High School
Team Members:
Manan Shrestha, Ryan Benyahya, Darshan Wagle
Campus Coaches:
Wolfgang Oertner & Mark Nagurney

PhishGuard AI helps users quickly check suspicious emails and messages by analyzing common scam and phishing warning signs and explaining them in simple language.

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One Step
School:
Oakton High School
Team Members:
Yuvraj Nathawat
Campus Coaches:
Erica Hosken & Eric Draper

This app offers calm support for everyday health questions. It’s built for people with disabilities, chronic conditions, or uncertainty, using clear language and gentle guidance without replacing medical care.

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Virginia Standards of Learning Study Assistant
School:
Langley High School
Team Members:
Lincoln Marine, Noah Teates & Aleksander Roberto
Campus Coaches:
Michael Johnson

Learn any of 70 SOL courses by taking a diagnostic, then progress through review, mastery, and practice while tracking your results. Press start to begin!

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Misinformation Detector
School:
Edison High School
Team Members:
Justin Jaran, Eko Dang, Christian Tam
Campus Coaches:
Barry Whittle

Identify misinformation with the Misinformation Detector! Copy and paste an article you feel might be misinformation, and our AI will tell you if it is misinformation or not, using techniques experts have constructed. This AI also provides tests for you to test your knowledge, or give examples of misinformation.

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ECOReceipt
School:
Westfield High School
Team Members:
Ghaarunya Balamurugan, Manasha Mahendramurthy & Sia Vadakkoot
Campus Coaches:
Brian Dieffenbacher, Rob Muskett

ECOReceipt app that scans your receipts to show the environmental impact and cost of your purchases. It suggests greener, budget-friendly alternatives and tracks your progress to help you save money while reducing your carbon footprint.

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NarrAIter
School:
Central Challenge Team
Team Members:
Anna Woo & Grace Yim
Campus Coaches:
Tariq Ahmad

The AI guides children through an entertaining story while weaving in questions about grammar, spelling, reading comprehension, or vocabulary. The app is very accessible with certain features, like the voice input feature or the read-aloud feature!

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Cognify
School:
Lake Braddock Secondary School
Team Members:
Manas Puri
Campus Coaches:
Jake Moon

AI-powered K-12 learning diagnostics for both educators and students. Upload student work, get instant analysis identifying misconceptions, standards-aligned interventions, and personalized practice.

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Cora
School:
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Team Members:
Dhanvinkumar Ganeshkumar
Campus Coaches:
Paige Highsmith, Shane Torbert & Monte Bourjaily

Cora is a voice-first, agentic computing assistant designed to make web browsing accessible for individuals with motor or cognitive impairments. Implemented as a Chrome extension, it operates directly within the user's browser, converting natural language commands into actionable on-screen actions.

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FirstStep
School:
Centreville High School
Team Members:
Tharu Kalahi, Sadu Kalahi & Ridhi Kasineni
Campus Coaches:
Kimberly Adams, Michelle Pridmore & Doug Thayer

FirstStep is an app that helps students prepare for college. FirstStep helps students understand what to expect and what steps to take each year. College doesn’t come with a manual; college starts with one step which this app walks you through.

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Genetic Guard
School:
Woodson High School
Team Members:
Joelle Rice
Campus Coaches:
Travis Pugh

Uses ClinVar and Alpha Missense to predict the risk of variants of uncertain significance (VUS) found in at-home or clinical genetic testing results, empowering patients and preventing pediatric cancers through a specialization in TP53.

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Smart Cart
School:
Annandale High School
Team Members:
Nuh Yesuf, Samuel Mulat & Robel Teklebirhan
Campus Coaches:
Jennifer Cory & Mary Needham

Compare nearby grocery prices, find the cheapest high-quality options, and get budget-friendly meal and recipe help based on your needs.

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ClearPath AI
School:
Herndon High School
Team Members:
Binayak Bhusal, Hans Mehta & Abram Gatz
Campus Coaches:
Stephanie Stewart, Lizmari Smith, Mel Usry, Rodney Bedford, Joshua Headen, Steven Barber

ClearPath AI is a tool that helps people in Northern Virginia quickly find trusted local housing, food, and support services in their preferred language during times of housing instability.

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Adapt
School:
Justice High School
Team Members:
Heela Jalali, Mahsa Kohistani & Jenna Galala
Campus Coaches:
Brian Lauer, Nancy Brandon, Said Raki, Theresa Cummings & Whitney Kruckenberg

Adapt is a study App that uses AI to adapt learning to a student's mental state and learning behavior, not just the content.

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MyCompass
School:
McLean High School
Team Members:
Emmanuel Beakal
Campus Coaches:
Bridget Donoghue

MyCompass is an accessible AI-powered tool that utilizes evidence-based therapy principles to provide an empathetic and multi-lingual "open ear" for individuals seeking mental health support. Through reflective questions about daily routines and emotions, it helps users navigate their thoughts and find clarity during challenging times.