Forest Park Middle School is proud to celebrate 8th grade students Owen Rummel, Joshua Maddela, and Yahya Alahdal, who have been named state champions in the Presidential AI Challenge as part of the school’s Challenge Program.
The Presidential AI Challenge is a national initiative that invites students to use artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. As state champions, Owen, Joshua, and Yahya are now in consideration to advance to the national stage, with final selections to be announced on April 16.
For Owen, the experience has been especially meaningful - not just personally, but for the school as a whole. “It’s important to me because this is the first time our school has done something like this with AI and coding. We’ve made it past state and now we’re up there with top teams in the nation,” he said.
Through their work in the Challenge Program, the team developed the Forest Park District 91 School Info Bot, an AI-powered tool designed to make important school information easier to access. They identified a common challenge: navigating school websites can be difficult and time-consuming, with key information, like calendars, policies, and event details, often buried across multiple pages.
Their solution allows users to simply ask questions and receive immediate, accurate answers through a conversational interface, eliminating the need to search through multiple webpages. This makes it easier for students, families, and staff to quickly find the information they need.
For Joshua, the collaboration behind the project made this experience stand out. “I’ve done things like robotics before, but this is something the three of us built and tested together. It’s something we’re really proud of.”
What makes their app especially unique is its focus on the local school community. Rather than redesigning the district website, the team created a tool that works alongside it—providing a faster, more user-friendly way to access information without changing existing systems. The app is tailored specifically to D91, recognizing that different users - students, parents, and new families - have different needs.
To ensure accuracy, the team tested the chatbot using real questions about school policies, calendar dates, and events. The app consistently provided reliable answers and clearly indicated when information was not available.
Yahya shared that the competition represents an opportunity to be recognized for their work and to build toward future goals. “I see this as a chance to be recognized for something big. If we win, it’s something I can carry with me into high school and college as an opportunity. I want to use it to its fullest potential.”
Their work demonstrates the power of innovation, collaboration, and real-world problem solving. As they await the next round of results, the D91 community is proud to support them!