![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776785529_718_d47873af8157350aef338aeb7be66ca8.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nFour Kaffie Middle School students were selected as state winners in\u00a0the Presidential AI Challenge. They were inspired by Corpus Christi\u2019s water\u00a0crisis.<\/p>\n
The contest was created through an executive order from President Donald Trump,\u00a0establishing\u00a0a competition \u201cto foster interest and expertise in AI technology in America\u2019s youth,\u201d according to the competition guidebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a challenge to see kids\u2019 ideas for how we could use AI to solve worldwide problems or problems in our city,\u201d eighth grader Averie Bazan said.<\/p>\n
For the group of four Corpus Christi middle schoolers \u2014 Bazan, Donaven Mouton, Maxwell Mitchell and\u00a0Neyvn\u00a0Braxton \u2014\u00a0water proved top of mind.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
From left, Kaffie Middle School science teacher Cynthia Hopkins submitted eighth grade students Maxwell Mitchell, Nevyn Braxton, Donaven Mouton and Averie Bazan into the Presidential AI Challenge, where they were named state winners.<\/p>\n
Their big idea is a ring that could be installed to pipes\u00a0in order to\u00a0track water usage and report the data through a phone app. Artificial intelligence would be used to analyze the data and\u00a0determine\u00a0if there are leaks in the system\u00a0or if someone left the water on.<\/p>\n
They thought the idea could help their school monitor and reduce water use.<\/p>\n
More in education: Graduate shares her experience in Tuloso-Midway Virtual Academy<\/a><\/p>\n They began considering how AI could help solve the local crisis back in the fall for their engineering class at Kaffie Middle School. It was a\u00a0perfect assignment for the class, science teacher Cynthia Hopkins said.<\/p>\n Bazan was the production manager. Mouton was\u00a0the\u00a0project engineer. Mitchell was the group\u2019s lead researcher. Braxton was the hydrologist, keeping track of local water supplies and water usage, including\u00a0water levels at Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon.<\/p>\n Six group projects from Kaffie Middle School\u00a0participated\u00a0in\u00a0an\u00a0artificial intelligence showcase, an opportunity to practice their speaking skills and to get feedback on their ideas from industry professionals.\u00a0Bazan, Mouton, Mitchell and Braxton\u00a0came first in the showcase, and another Kaffie team came in second.<\/p>\n The showcase, a separate competition,\u00a0occurred\u00a0before the presidential challenge.<\/p>\n Again\u00a0Bazan, Mouton, Mitchell and Braxton were successful. They were chosen as the Texas winners for the middle school track.<\/p>\n The team also competed against winners from other states for the regional level of the\u00a0competition, but\u00a0did not advance to nationals.<\/p>\n Seeing the ideas from other competitors was educational, Bazan said, particularly in highlighting when AI can be helpful, as well as\u00a0when it\u00a0isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a person can do it easily, it seems useless to use AI,\u201d Bazan.<\/p>\n