Pocono News Section

Students Design Local Businesses Websites.

Students Design Local Businesses Websites. - Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 4:04PM EST

Reported by: David DeCosmo
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008 @04:04pm EST

DUNMORE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Teams of area high school students took part in some serious high tech competition in Lackawanna County on Wednesday. It's all part of the annual Great Valley Computer Contest sponsored by regional Chambers of Commerce.The 9th annual computer competition was held at the Penn State Worthington-Scranton campus in Dunmore

The students working on the computers represent high schools from Montrose to Hazleton. They're engaged in competition that actually started about a month ago. There are 16 teams, each working with a specific regional business. Their assignment was to create, design, and activate a website for their business partner. It takes a lot of work.

Matt Basta from Wyoming Area High School explained the steps involved in launching the website. "You have to start with a plan. So you start with a solid foundation and you go through and you figure out what is going to be a good idea and what would look nice. Then you think about how the users are going to take to it. Are they going to use it? Is it going to be functional or is it just going to look cool?"

Of course while the students improve their knowledge and advance their education the businessman involved get a wed site.

Tom McHugh of Pittston is already using the web site designed by the Wyoming Area students for his moving and storage business. "I gave them all the information. They then took it and put it into the website. It came out absolutely wonderful" declared McHugh.

There's always something new. Like the website designed by the team from Old Forge High School that's designed to be used on an I-phone. Their client is Osborne Specialty, a local bakery. It's the first web site specifically created to be mobile."

J.R. Davis of Old Forge High School was involved in creating the website. He explained "The website is for everybody that is on the go. We want to be disconnected from all our wires. So when you're on the go and you want some cookies or anything like that, you can get them easily."

That 'sweet idea' earned Old Forge first place honors in this year's competition.