2025-2026 ArcGIS Online Competition Winners 

Sensory Stops of Louisiana
Rubi Johnson, 9th Grade, Elton High School
Louisiana's High School Winner

This StoryMap maps sensory-friendly places and activities across Louisiana for people who may be sensitive to noise, crowds, lighting, or other environmental conditions. It helps families identify more comfortable and inclusive destinations before planning an outing. The project also shows that sensory-friendly resources are not equally available in every community. Overall, it promotes greater awareness, accessibility, and inclusion for neurodivergent individuals and their families.

Louisiana Music
Christopher Torres &Dillon Boutte, 8th Grade, Park Forest Middle School
Louisiana's Middle School Winner

This StoryMap explores Louisiana’s rich musical identity and the important role music plays in the state’s culture. It highlights musical traditions associated with different communities and regions, including jazz, Cajun, zydeco, blues, and other Louisiana styles. The maps help connect artists, genres, and musical history to the places where they developed. Overall, the project celebrates Louisiana’s influence on American music and cultural heritage.

MIDDLE SCHOOL PLACED

(A-F) Rated Schools in LA
Harper Badeaux
6th Grade, Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

This StoryMap examines how Louisiana schools are evaluated using the state’s A–F performance-rating system. It uses maps to compare school ratings and identify geographic patterns in educational performance. The project draws attention to differences between higher- and lower-performing schools and the communities they serve. Overall, it demonstrates how GIS can help visualize educational achievement and areas where additional support may be needed.

Top 3 Cities in LA with the most Cuban Population
Dariany Maldonado
7th Grade, Glasgow Middle School, Gardere Initiative

This StoryMap identifies Louisiana cities with the highest concentrations of Cuban residents. It uses population data and maps to show where Cuban communities are most established within the state. The project highlights the cultural contributions these communities bring through food, traditions, businesses, language, and family connections. Overall, it demonstrates how migration has contributed to Louisiana’s growing cultural diversity.

Hispanic Culture
Cesia Orozco & Briana Lara
8th Grade, Park Forest Middle School

This StoryMap celebrates Hispanic culture and its influence on Louisiana communities. It explores cultural traditions such as food, music, language, celebrations, and family customs while connecting them to geographic locations. The project also recognizes the growing presence and contributions of Hispanic residents throughout the state. Overall, it promotes greater awareness and appreciation of Louisiana’s multicultural identity.

Pros and cons of AI Data Centers in Louisiana
Brianna DeLarca
7th Grade, Glasgow Middle School, Gardere Initiative

This StoryMap examines the potential benefits and challenges of developing large AI data centers in Louisiana. It discusses possible advantages such as investment, employment, infrastructure development, and economic growth. It also considers concerns involving electricity consumption, water use, environmental impacts, costs, and effects on nearby communities. Overall, the project presents a balanced view of how AI development could create opportunities while also requiring responsible planning and oversight.

HIGH SCHOOL PLACED

Teen Life in Baton Rouge
Christian McMillian
10th Grade, Port Allen High School

This StoryMap presents Baton Rouge through a teenager’s perspective, using maps and storytelling to show how young people experience the city. It highlights locations and everyday experiences that are meaningful to local teens. By connecting personal observations with geography, the project offers a youth-centered view of Baton Rouge that is often missing from broader discussions. Overall, it encourages readers to understand the city through the eyes of its younger residents.

From Chain Gangs to Chart Toppers
Anya Trutschl
9th Grade, Caddo High School

This StoryMap follows the life and musical influence of Louisiana-born artist Lead Belly. It connects his experiences with imprisonment and chain-gang labor to his development as an influential blues and folk musician. The project explains how his songs preserved stories of hardship, injustice, resilience, and Southern life. It also highlights how his music influenced later generations and became an important part of American musical history

Gardere Initiative
Dayan Flores
9th Grade, Glen Oaks High School, Gardere Initiative

This StoryMap highlights the Gardere community as an important center of Latino life and culture in Baton Rouge. Through maps and community perspectives, it explores how Latino families have shaped the neighborhood’s identity, traditions, and social connections. It also emphasizes the role of the Gardere Initiative in supporting residents and creating opportunities for young people and families. Overall, the project celebrates cultural diversity while drawing attention to the community’s needs, strengths, and contributions.

Electric Reliance in Louisiana
Ahmad Firstley & Mia Zheng
11th-12th Grade, West St. John High School

This StoryMap examines how hurricanes damage Louisiana’s electrical infrastructure and create prolonged outages for vulnerable communities. It compares parish-level power restoration following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Ida in 2021, classifying resilience according to how quickly power returned. The project finds that coastal parishes—including Terrebonne and Lafourche—often experience severe damage and extended restoration periods. It recommends stronger infrastructure, emergency backup systems, dedicated coastal response teams, and greater investment in disaster prevention.