High School Web Design Contest Winner Announced

Norte Dame High School student wins scholarship and laptop in the 4th annual Web design contest.

Chicago, Illinois, July 5, 2006—Dmitry Barsky, 18, won the first place prize in the “Web Developers of the Future” contest cosponsored by Hostway Corporation and Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Council of Technology Advisors. Barsky will receive a Dell Inspiron B130 laptop and a $1,000 scholarship.

“This is our fourth year holding the contest, and I am very proud to say that it is getting more and more difficult to judge each year,” said John Lee, vice president of global marketing and cofounder of Hostway. “Hostway is dedicated to furthering Chicagoland’s growth as a technology hub. In order for this to happen, it’s imperative that Chicagoland technology companies inspire our youth to dive head first into today’s cutting edge technologies.”

Barsky redesigned his high school’s Web site, www.ndhsdons.org, creating an online destination for parents, current students, prospective students and alumni of Notre Dame High School in Niles, Illinois. The site was launched in the summer of his freshman year in high school. Since then the site has received more than 14 million hits. He plans to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology in the fall to major in architecture.

“I started toying around with Web design when I was in 6th grade, and it’s still exciting every time I create a new Web site” said Barsky. “The creation of this particular site was an incredible learning experience. I believe it gives Notre Dame an immense marketing tool, as well as forges a strong relationship among the staff that maintains the Web site.”

Andrew Cichowski, 18, was the runner-up in the contest. He will receive a Dell Inspiron B130 laptop and a $500 scholarship for designing www.plumcreek4seniors.com as a marketing tool for his friend’s family business. The Web site provides essential information for people considering supportive living for themselves or someone they care about. Cichowski is a student at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. In the Fall he’ll be attending the University of California, Santa Cruz to double major in molecular, cellular and developmental biology and film.

“I strive for continuity in shape, color and messaging in all my Web site designs,” he said. “My design approach was therefore perfectly suited for this project as a portion of the audience is elderly and somewhat new to using the Internet.”

Chicago area students submitted original Web sites for judging. Contest entries were reviewed and winners selected by a distinguished panel of judges, including, Michael Krauss, co-chair of Chicago Mayor Daley’s Council of Technology Advisors; Lucretzia Jamison of Junior Achievement/Chicago and Lee. Students competed on the basis of content, structure and navigation; visual design; functionality and success of their Web sites

“The talent of these winners and the other students that entered Hostway’s contest amazes me,” said Lee. “This generation of Web designers is truly going to make a mark on the technology arena—and we are all looking forward to it.