As frenzied students constantly checked their grades during first semester finals week, senior Arya Boudaie discovered a way to keep his peers focused on studying: an app that notifies users via email or text message once their JupiterGrades has been updated.
“During the end of finals week, kids were constantly checking their JupiterGrades, wanting to see how they did in their classes,” Boudaie said. “I was one of these kids, and I wanted to know how I did in on my English final as soon as the scores were published. I have experience in programming after taking Math Analysis Computational Honors with Mr. Paul, so I realized I could just automate [the app].”
Drawing on his prior programming expertise, Boudaie began writing code for the app in between studying for his own finals. After a few days of programming and testing the app, the service was finally ready for the student body to utilize.
Boudaie admitted that testing the app was the hardest part because it required grades to be inputted. He encountered difficulty in adapting the app to work for all students and is still optimizing the service. Boudaie is currently promoting through the app through his Facebook page and allowing students to download it for free during the month of February.
“So far I’m just asking people to sign up via my Facebook, to see if there is any interest,” Boudaie said. “The running joke is that I made it too late though, since most of my friends are second semester seniors who couldn’t care less about their grades but would have killed for the service a year ago.”
The app has been lauded by students for its helpfulness.
“I personally would use the app because I’m not a kid who refreshes JupiterGrades for hours, waiting for a test to be put up,” sophomore Matthew Sater said. “I actually forget to check my grades for weeks, which causes problems when teachers make mistakes in grades or announce assignments online. A text message reminding me that every point matters could actually be a motivation tool, pushing me to put 100% effort into school every day.”
The app can be downloaded at Boudaie’s webpage and is available for any phone.