Beyond the science fair: North Carolina students build AI chatbots in 2-day prompt-a-thon

Catawba County Schools in North Carolina hosted a two-day “prompt-a-thon” this week to help 30 students build AI literacy through hands-on experimentation with generative AI tools. The event marks the beginning of a three-year partnership with AI for Education, a nonprofit organization, to implement AI programs across all 28 schools in the district, preparing students for an increasingly AI-driven future.

What you should know: The prompt-a-thon took place August 4-5 at the Hickory Metro Convention Center, where students worked in teams to design AI solutions for real-world problems.

• One team created a program to help students manage daily schedules, while another designed a recycling chatbot that tells users what they can recycle and how much money they could earn.
• A third team built a focus-assistance chatbot that responds in the style of “The Lion King” characters Timon and Pumbaa.
• Students used an app called Playlab to create AI chatbots during the two-day session.

The big picture: This initiative is part of a comprehensive three-year program to build “community-wide AI literacy” among students, teachers, leaders, and caregivers throughout Catawba County Schools.

• The district plans to roll out an AI literacy program for high school students this fall, following a successful AI literacy class for staff last year.
• Future prompt-a-thons are planned in partnership with Catawba Valley Community College or Appalachian State University.

Why this matters: The program emphasizes understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations rather than just usage, focusing on ethical guidelines and academic integrity.

• “It’s not just about using, it’s about understanding and the literacy piece,” said Marty Sharpe, chief technology officer for Catawba County Schools.
• “It’s about understanding what it is, what it isn’t, what it can do for you and what it cannot do for you. All of that under ethical guidelines and teaching academic integrity.”

How it works: The two-day session combined education about generative AI and ethical usage with hands-on experimentation.

• Facilitators first explained what generative AI is and discussed responsible usage guidelines.
• Students then collaborated in teams to identify problems they wanted to solve and created AI programs to address them.
• The approach emphasized teamwork and problem-solving skills alongside technical AI literacy.