With MHS activities and classes gearing up for the school year, students are once again interacting and coordinating extracurriculars with each other. 

GroupMe, an efficient messaging app, supports the spread of important information for sports and activities. Many Minnetonka clubs and organizations use GroupMe as a communication tool, facilitating conversations around due dates, club meetings and last-minute questions. The app allows users to run seamless group chats without needing iPhones. 

Originally a product of a TechCrunch hackathon, the product was founded by Jared Hecht and Steve Martocci.

One of GroupMe’s co-founders, Hecht, said, “At its core, [GroupMe is] solving a very simple problem, which was a main point for both [founders]: how do we manage and stay in touch with our IRL groups of friends?” 

Users can quickly form accounts by entering a phone number and password, Facebook credentials or Twitter account information. The app syncs contacts, allowing users to set up groups. Images, documents and videos can easily be attached and accessed by everyone in the group. 

“The whole concept [of the app] was, it’s a way to privately chat with groups of friends and be yourself, and have fun, and share the things you want to share with people you care about,” said Hecht in an interview. 

Now, the app is used in all types of educational and professional settings, acting as a bridge of communication for workplaces and academic environments alike. 

GroupMe plays an especially important role at Minnetonka High School, particularly to those involved in activities and clubs. 

Emma Komis, ‘22, said, “GroupMe helps me be involved and aware of what’s going on in my school clubs.” 

She finds the direct messaging and polling features especially useful.

“Direct messaging is super helpful for connecting individually with people I don’t know very well but have a group with,” she said. “I also like the poll feature that allows people to vote in the chat.”

GroupMe is an integral part of the student experience, as it is used frequently throughout extracurriculars at the high school. It is one of the most important apps that all Minnetonka students should download, allowing everyone to participate more fully in activities as they start the new school year.