The computer science class at Mass Academy is taught by Mrs. Taricco and follows the AP Computer Science A curriculum. The class is extremely helpful in improving our computer science skills, along with some other soft skills such as problem solving, communication, and working in groups. This class is very fun and manageable, teaching us primarily Java with some other languages taught for specific assignments.
One of our assignments in Computer Science was to create an image that looks like the one below with lines and iteration. When we were given the assignment, the only thing Mrs. Taricco gave us was the image itself and a little bit of base code, leaving the actual problem up to us to figure out how to solve it. This was an extremely fun assignment because it let us all work together to figure out how to solve something that none of us had ever done before.
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A different unit we had in Computer Science was about ArrayLists, and one of the specific exercises we had to do was to create bulgarian solitaire using them. The game is setup by taking any triangle number, which is a number that is the summation of 1 to N for any whole number N (1, 3, 6, 10, etc.), and breaking the number up into a random number of piles of random numbers that sum up to the triangle number. With these piles, 1 will be removed from every pile (empty piles ignored) and the total number of piles will be annexed to the end of the row. This process continues until the row has piles of every number from 1 to N.
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For our Apps for Good project, my team (The Herd: Chris Xu, Emmanuel Yu, and myself) designed and built AidReady, a gamified first aid learning app built to make emergency preparedness accessible to everyone. The app uses short sentences, videos, pictures, and interactive games to teach first aid skills to users of all ages and abilities, so that anyone, regardless of reading level or physical ability, can feel confident responding in a real emergency.
Most existing first aid apps rely on long paragraphs of dense, complex language, which leaves children, seniors, and people with disabilities unable to confidently act in an emergency. The numbers reflect this gap: only 18% of people feel confident performing CPR. If emergency preparation tools are going to be effective, they have to be accessible to every community, not just adult users comfortable with text-heavy resources.
AidReady is designed for the broadest possible user base, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers, and the general public. This audience was chosen because existing first aid apps tend to assume a single user profile, leaving out the people who most often witness or respond to emergencies in everyday settings.
AidReady is a gamified, accessible first aid learning app that combines short, easy-to-read instructions with pictures, videos, and interactive quizzes to teach 16 different first aid topics. Users can browse modules, search for any ailment by keyword, take quizzes to test their knowledge, and track their progress over time, all within an interface designed to work for users with different reading levels and accessibility needs.
Our MVP focuses on three core features: a library of 16 first aid modules with step-by-step guides, a smart search function to find any ailment instantly by keyword, and accessibility features including picture and video displays alongside text. These features were prioritized because together they form a functional learning tool that any user, regardless of age or ability, can pick up and use in a real situation.
Beyond the MVP, AidReady includes text-to-speech functionality that reads every step aloud, module quizzes that give users live treatment demos and assess their progress, and motivational progress tracking that displays a completion percentage as users work through the content. On the technical side, the app was built in Flutter and Dart using VS Code, with JSON used for local data storage of user progress, preferences, and emergency contact information. The app architecture follows a modular structure, branching from a home menu into an injury library, settings, browse, and emergency contact features, all backed by a save system that persists user data between sessions. Content for the modules was sourced from the American Red Cross to ensure medical accuracy. Looking forward, the app is designed to support future extensions like offline access, scenario-based simulations, multiplayer leaderboards, and learning streaks.
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