2023 Broadcom Coding with Commitment – Gary Montelongo
Success Stories
Gary Montelongo, from Lorenzo De Zavala Middle School in La Joya, Texas, was recognized with the 2023 Broadcom Coding with Commitment award at the Rio Grande Valley Regional Science Fair for coding to create a safe environment in schools.
Broadcom Coding with Commitment recognizes students in grades 5-8 who combine STEM learning with coding to solve a community problem they care about that aligns with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
“I was shocked when I heard I won this award and then really happy,” said Gary. “Since I began working on my project and bringing my idea to life, I knew it was valuable to the community and the world.”
Gary was impacted by the Uvalde shooting that was close to his community. His mom teaches at the same school as his siblings, and he couldn’t imagine them being in a similar situation as Uvalde.
“I realized that parents send their children to school thinking they are safe at all times, but in reality, there can be flaws in the system,” said Gary. “I chose an intruder detection system so teachers like my mom don’t become open targets while running to lock their doors.”
Gary’s prototype uses robotic sensors to detect when someone is in the building and sets off an alarm. When a button is pressed, the alarm is reset, and the classroom doors are locked. This gives teachers and students time to hide and keeps them away from the hallway, where a potential shooter may be located.
“People all over the world are affected by school shootings,” said Gary. “Schools are kids’ second homes, and we need to protect them. My mission with coding is to create a safe environment because children are our future.”
Gary was introduced to robotics using a Lego brick in 3rd grade. “I was amazed at how much we were able to get the robot to do with a simple code,” said Gary. In 5th grade, he attended a robotics camp and used Arduino where he learned more coding. His tech teacher, Maria Reyna helped him at workshops and summer programs.
“Coding makes dreams come true. Anything I can imagine coming to life is possible through coding. Coding opened endless possibilities to fix what at one point seemed impossible. It provides safety for the community, help for the disabled, assurance for our agriculture, and a whole lot of fun for kids,” said Gary.
“Coding makes dreams come true. Anything I can imagine coming to life is possible through coding. Coding opened endless possibilities to fix what at one point seemed impossible. It provides safety for the community, help for the disabled, assurance for our agriculture, and a whole lot of fun for kids,” said Gary.
Basic Coding is a 21st Century+ skill that girls, under-resourced, and underrepresented youth need to become digitally literate and compete for highly skilled jobs in emerging industries built on technologies of the future.
"Schools all over the world can benefit from my project,” said Gary. “Teachers carry many tasks and keeping children safe from an active shooter is one that may be prevented with my invention.”
Raspberry Pi has free resources to help anyone learn how to code and teach basic coding. Visit the Projects site to get started.
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