^{Students involved in the hackathon, Courtesy: CCISD}

LEAGUE CITY — Nearly 200 Clear Creek Independent School District students in grades 5 through 8 took part in the district’s first-ever AI Hackathon earlier this month, giving middle school students a chance to use artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems.

The event, held April 11, brought together student teams from across the district to develop AI-powered games and solutions focused on health care, financial literacy and education.

Organizers said students worked through guided build sessions throughout the day, refining their ideas before presenting their final projects to a panel of judges and an audience of families and community members.

District officials said the hackathon was designed to give students hands-on experience with emerging technology while showing how artificial intelligence is already shaping major industries.

Projects centered on practical challenges students could connect to their own lives, schools and communities.

“Our students came with big ideas,” said Dr. Laura Mackay, CCISD’s coordinator for innovative programs, who said AI helped students quickly bring those concepts to life in ways that would normally require more advanced coding experience.

The event also brought together educators, industry professionals and community partners to mentor students and help judge the competition.

Houston Methodist served as the presenting sponsor and led the health care challenge, while Wellby Financial and other community partners supported mentoring and judging efforts.

District leaders say plans are already in place to expand the event in future years, creating more opportunities for students to explore emerging technologies in responsible and practical ways.