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Harrisburg English teacher advances to Presidential AI Challenge finals with classroom project
Summary
An English teacher from Harrisburg High School, Miss Gross, presented 'Hot and Cold,' an English‑classroom AI literacy project that won a regional prize in the Presidential AI Challenge; she reported 91% of participating students could explain the AI 'temperature' concept and will compete in Washington, D.C.
Miss Gross, an English teacher at Harrisburg High School, told the board she was named a regional winner in the Presidential AI Challenge and will travel to the national finals in Washington, D.C., next month to present her project "Hot and Cold." She said the project teaches AI concepts through language‑centered lessons rather than technical coursework.
"Instead of viewing generative AI as a magical tool, I wanted students to see it as a system that generates text based on patterns and probability," Miss Gross said, describing classroom activities built around next‑token prediction and a 'temperature' setting that affects how predictable AI text becomes.
Miss Gross said students acted out next‑token prediction exercises, collaboratively built stories using low and high temperature settings, and compared outputs from a storytelling tool built on Amazon Web Services. She described the lessons as intentionally experiential and said engagement was a major goal: "Instead of treating AI as something students should fear or use only for shortcuts, I wanted them to analyze it and think critically about it," she said.
She reported measured learning outcomes from the classroom pilot: "After the lesson, 91% of students could accurately explain the concept of temperature in AI and students were also able to analyze whether AI generated text reflected higher or lower temperature using evidence for word choice and structure," she said.
The board introduction noted Miss Gross's prior achievements, including publishing a children's book whose proceeds supported students' dental care, serving as an intern with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, and being recognized in Disney's centennial teachers celebration. The presentation emphasized that English classrooms can support AI literacy because they focus on language interpretation and critical thinking.
Miss Gross's project was described by staff as a district example of integrating digital‑literacy topics into humanities instruction; no formal board action was required. She will represent the district at the national finals of the Presidential AI Challenge.
The board recognized Miss Gross and invited members and staff to take photos after the presentation.
