Two High School Techies Win the Opportunity of a Lifetime Annapolis (May 27, 2008) County Executive John R. Leopold today announced the winners of Anne Arundel County's First Annual Community and Information Technology Competition. Earlier this year, the County Executive challenged County sophomores, juniors, and seniors to use their technological savvy to develop new and innovative methods to deliver county services or information. Ronald Eddings and Francell "Julian" Flood of Arundel High School were selected as the first winners of the competition and will be offered a summer internship with the county's Office of Information Technology. "The creativity and professionalism demonstrated by Ron and Julian were directly in line with what I had in mind when I initiated this contest," said County Executive John R. Leopold. "Their proposal offers a fresh perspective on the delivery of information to the community and their passion for technology demonstrates the true quality of the students of Anne Arundel County. I look forward to following their progress as they make their idea into a reality during their internships this summer." Ronald Eddings, a junior at Arundel High School, partnered with senior Francell Julian Flood to propose a website that will allow community organizations to connect with each other online to organize, discuss, and promote community and county initiatives. Their final proposal was presented to a panel of judges in an interview-style setting last week. Judges included Bill Ryan, Director of the Office of Information Technology, Betsy Kirkpatrick-Howat, OIT Application Development, Erik Robey of the Chief Administrative Office, and Karla R. Hamner, Special Assistant for Communication & Media. Eddings and Flood successfully identified a need, a solution, the resources needed, and an anticipated end-result in their proposal. The pair's excellent presentations and interview skills during the finals swept the competition by a unanimous vote. Both students will be offered a paid internship this summer in Anne Arundel County's Office of Information Technology where they will have the opportunity to implement the website with the tools and support needed to develop and deploy the project. The County Executive's Office of Community and Constituent Services collaborated with the County schools Office of Instructional Technology to create the contest for individuals or partners in grades 10, 11 and 12 to present their IT project proposals. | 
