Three high school students from Great Falls, Lily Kirkaldie, Charlie Kotthoff, and Danica Sabo, are gaining national recognition after winning an app challenge for a project developed through a STARBASE Montana afterschool program.

Their award winning app, Cursive Create, helps users practice reading and writing cursive, a foundational literacy skill that is no longer widely taught in many classrooms.

Created last spring at East Middle School through a partnership between STARBASE Montana and Code Girls United, the app demonstrates how hands on technology education can preserve essential academic skills while preparing students for a digital future. The team also earned a 4,000 dollar scholarship at the Code Girls United Annual App Challenge, highlighting the quality of student innovation coming out of Montana schools.

This achievement matters to education in Montana and across the U.S. because it shows how early exposure to computer science and problem solving can translate into real world outcomes. Programs like STARBASE Montana, operated by the Montana Department of Military Affairs and supported by the Montana National Guard, give students access to advanced tools such as MIT’s App Inventor software while encouraging teamwork and community focused thinking.

As Montana continues to invest in science, technology, engineering, and math education, successes like this signal a growing trend toward project based learning that prepares students for college, careers, and civic engagement. The Great Falls team is now raising funds to travel to Washington, D.C., where they will present Cursive Create alongside other student winners from across the country, placing Montana students on a national stage and reinforcing the state’s expanding influence in education innovation.

Montana students create award-winning app