The AP Computer Science class has recently finished working on their final for the Fall semester, in which they were assigned the task to create an application, strictly through coding.

The students who take this course undergo a lengthy, 2-3 week process, in an effort to complete this assignment, which is worth a portion of their AP Exam grade. Although this is a difficult endeavor, they devise innovative ideas. 

These students are provided with some support, from an app called Pythonista, which makes it easier for them to code these apps.

“Our teacher, Shern, also gives us set codes that we can use in our own codes, so that we can prepare for this final. This way we kind of knew what we were doing when creating these apps,” junior Emily Jimenez said. 

Through this project, students are able to showcase the creative programming skills that they have learned this past semester. For instance, Jimenez made an app called Build Your Own Workout. In this application, the user can select their workout type, the amount of time for it, and whether or not they want to use equipment. Once chosen, a list of exercises that incorporate your preferences emerges on the screen and is organized into 4 sections: Warm Up, Set #1, Set #2, and Cool Down. 

“I thought it would be an easy way for users to organize their workouts and change it up every time, according to what they would be feeling that day. It lets them kind of visualize the order that they will repeat certain exercises and for how long to do them,” Jimenez said. 

Jimenez also incorporated cartoon graphics to illustrate some exercises and encourage users to do the same. The vibrant colors of the application induce a sense of motivation in the participants and allow for an aesthetically pleasing background. 

Another junior taking the AP Computer Science course, Kathryn Ortiz, created the Magic Piano app, which simulates a piano teaching game and is divided into two keyboard settings: one that allows players to practice songs on their own, and another that shows them the correct keys to play in order for them to carry it out. 

“It has a freestyle mode where you can play whatever notes that you want, and a game mode that basically plays a melody, and then you have to repeat it within three tries, or you lose,” Ortiz said. 

The game is categorized into three levels, ranging from easy to hard. Once the user passes the first level, their rating on the randomly selected song comes up, and allows the player to move on. 

Ortiz’s Magic Piano app encompasses an attention to detail, where she includes light flashes or icon pop-ups. For example, when passing on to the next level the game provides the user’s score out of three stars. Other times, when the player gets a song wrong, or presses the wrong key, a buzzer noise appears. 

“Although the whole coding process was stressful, it was very interesting and exciting for me to see the finished product of my app,” Ortiz said.