Alun School student’s IT skills flourish with creation of new app

Alun School in Mold is known for nurturing innovation, and its latest prodigy, Year 7 student Elin Crickett, is a testament to that reputation.

The young student has astounded her peers and teachers by creating an organisational app called ‘Alun Adref’, set to be available to all Year 7 students next academic year.

This extraordinary achievement was born out of a competition held at the Alun Eisteddfod, where students were invited to pitch ideas for a school app.

Elin not only took up the challenge but went above and beyond to design and develop the application herself.

She used her spare time and existing skills in Information Technology and graphic design to build a fully functioning app.

Elin with Matt Hughes, Director of Thisdigital.co.uk.

“I have always found working with computers fascinating,” Elin shares. “I spend a lot of my spare time learning about what phones and computers are capable of doing. The eisteddfod competition really inspired me, and I loved using my creativity, IT, and graphic design skills to put together this app.”

The app, expected to be free for all Year 7 students, offers features to help manage school work, including email access, homework management, a to-do list, and a timetable viewer.

The young creator hopes her app can help make life easier for her fellow students, harnessing the vast potential of technology.

In recognition of her initiative and enterprise, Alun School arranged for Elin to undertake work experience with Thisdigital.co.uk, a digital marketing agency founded by ex-Alun students Harry Philips and Matt Hughes.

“We take developing new talent very seriously and as ex-Alun students ourselves we were more than happy to accommodate a young talented student such as Elin and give her the start she needs in her career,” said Matt Hughes, Director of Thisdigital.co.uk.

Alun School’s Headteacher, Jane Cooper, applauds Elin’s achievements. She stated, “I am continually amazed by the ambition and skills showed by our learners.”

“As a school, we encourage our students to be enterprising and to show creativity in their work. This app clearly demonstrates Elin’s IT skills and I am sure it is only the starting point for her very bright future.”