NBTHS Hackathon 2026!
- Jay Pindipol
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
JAY PINDIPOL, Staff Writer
On January 20th, Technology Club hosted their annual Hackathon. To those who aren't aware of what Hackathon is, it's a short-term yet intense event where people of similar interests come together to collaborate together on improving or developing code for a program. This year is also special, as they were also joined by Girls in STEM who took part in the event.
This year's topic : Develop an original game of your choice. Also this year, we had the most categories I've ever seen since 2023 that are needed in order to win, coming at a whopping 8 different categories:
Code Efficiency
Abstraction
Complexity
User Ease Understanding
Efficiency
Creativity
Audience Votes
This year's time limit was 1 hour and 30 minutes, and there were 3 prizes and 2 awards to win:
1st Place : $20 gift card - Moonie
2nd Place : $15 gift card - Elephant
3rd Place : $10 gift card - Teapot418
Creativity Award : Ctrl Alt Defeat
Audience Award : Manilla Gorillas
Freshman Interview :
Joel Inyang - First time being involved, he heard about the event and had interest in joining, and he feels cool that he's able to participate.
Martin Thomas - He had not participated in a Hackathon before, but did a scratch Olympiad. He loves coding and making games, and decided to join Hackathon.
Nick Bogert - He had done both Hackathons and Game Jams before. He heard about the event from the first meeting of Technology Club, and says its fun to see what others have in store.
Mahi Patel & Dan Gray - First year being involved, and heard of the event from the club. They think its cool and fun, and believe that others should try getting involved in an event like this.
Sophomore Interview :
Avani Gupta - A member of Girls in STEM, Avani Gupta facilitated the planning of the Hackathon this year. She thinks that technology is a male dominated field, and Tech Club shares the same issue. Girls in STEM collaborated with Tech Club so they can introduce girls to the field of computer science. In a world increasingly reliant on computer automation, Avani believes that everyone must experience coding, even if they decide not to pursue it in the future. Avani is proud that so many members of Girls in STEM came to the Hackathon, even those that had little to no experience in coding. She believes it shows how much more talent the world would experience if STEM was truly gender equitable.
Chloe & Sophia Koffke and Eliana Rosa - Chloe & Sophia found out about this event by seeing flyers and announcements in the grade level classroom, and told Eliana about it. This is their first time attending and participating in this event. Eliana had no prior experiences, but Chloe took CSE and Sophia took CSE and CSA. Chloe thinks its fun to get involved as it lets people show off their coding skills, Sophia says it's fun but it's better to come in prepared, Eliana had fun as she was with her friends.
Junior Interview :
Anish Sinha - Thinks it's a great club and gives people the opportunity to express themselves in a unique way. This is his 3rd year in the club, and is his first year as a judge. He thinks more people should get involved in this club as many aren't aware of the club, and it gives other not only in coding, but in tech to show others what they can do.
Senior Interview :
Roberto Suarez Quintana - Has been involved in tech club for 3 years, and is the president of the club for 2 years. As he quotes, "As a club, its all about collaborating with each other and teaching new things. Everyone knows a little bit of something, and those bits in a whole, it allows people to do great things."
Advisor Interview:
Mrs. Insiya Dhrolia is the advisor of Technology Club and is one of the main organizers of the Hackathon. She has been hosting this event since 2020, and on a side note, is actually quite recently in terms of other clubs/activities that have been going on for as long or even longer. As she quotes, "Hackathons give students a chance to collaborate across clubs, solve real-world problems, and build hands-on skills in coding, creativity, and teamwork- all while having fun. It’s an engaging way to spark innovation, develop leadership, and strengthen our school community." When asked about if she would encourage other students to seek out events of their interest, she responds that every club in the school hosts a very unique event based on their specific interests, as its very enriching for students to be involved in such diverse activities.
Overall, every member enjoyed this year's Hackathon, as it was yet another fun and successful event. I will be excited to see what next year has to bring.
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