An app created by a group of Barrington High School students was selected a Best in State winner in the Verizon Innovative Learning app challenge.

The team of Chris Sarli, Hayden Ivatts, Stephen Johnston, Matt Collyer and Kieran Eagan created an app called "Silent 911" which is intended to help victims of domestic violence. The app allows a verbal cue or a button tap to trigger a silent call to the 911 dispatcher.

View the video for Silent 911.

"Unlike a normal call, however, the screen of the phone is unchanged and appears 'normal.' This provides the user with a hands free call to the authorities without the attacker being aware," stated information from the BHS app team.

The Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge hosted by the Verizon Foundation and administered by Technology Student Association is designed to encourage eligible U.S. middle school and high school students, working in teams with a faculty advisor to develop a mobile app concept that addresses a real need or problem in their school or community.

The Barrington team will receive a $5,000 award from the Verizon Foundation for their school; each team member wins a tablet. The local students are now eligible to win one of eight Best In Nation Awards, selected by a panel of education and industry experts, and the Fan Favorite Award, determined by public voting, to earn an additional $15,000 for their schools and the opportunity to work with MIT Media Lab experts to bring their app idea to life.

People can vote for Barrington to win the Fan Favorite Award by texting the code found next to the team’s entry at https://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/vote to 22333.

All the Barrington students are seniors with the exception of Chris Sarli, who is a junior.