To celebrate its centennial year, the City of San Carlos will roll out a new mission monthly through the augmented reality application “Agents of Discovery” to connect residents with the city’s history.
The application is a digital education platform, available on smartphones and tablets, that engages players with the real world through three-dimensional augmented reality (AR). A unique mission will be released every month throughout 2025, the city’s 100th anniversary year, in a new San Carlos location, showcasing trivia questions created by a different city organization. For example, the January mission was created by the city’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) and featured eight challenges in Highlands Park. Various other city parks and City Hall will have a mission curated by organizations like the San Carlos Education Foundation, the Hiller Aviation Museum, and the San Carlos Adult Community Center.
Emma Licko, the Youth Development Recreation Coordinator at the City of San Carlos, explained how the program first came to the city’s attention.
“After first coming across the app at a conference in 2024, I was immediately intrigued by how the application considered the increase in technology use while having an educational component. I knew how much youth and adults enjoyed playing ‘Pokemon Go’ and realized how similar ‘Agents of Discovery’ was to the popular application. After a lot of brainstorming, we came up with the idea to use the ‘Agents of Discovery’ app to involve San Carlos Organizations, promote the learning of San Carlos’s rich history, and take people to parks they may not usually go to,” Licko said.
The implementation of “Agents of Discovery” is one of the many ways the city celebrates its founding anniversary in 1925. The “Cheers to 100 Years” luncheon at the Adult Community Center, the Centennial Art Contest for middle and high school students, the Adult Community Center Senior Prom with a “Roaring ’20s” theme, a Centennial-themed Hometown Days parade, a “Back to the ’20s” Youth Center dance, and an official celebration of the city’s 100th anniversary on July 8 are just a few of the events being planned in 2025.
“Agents of Discovery” was founded in 2015 by entrepreneur and former teacher Mary Clark and wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman, with a central mission of helping youth connect with the natural world. They initially set out to reduce screen time but eventually pivoted and found that screen time could be green time. Since then, they have worked with developers to create the app implemented across the globe, from the University of Costa Rica to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The app’s content is divided into missions, which can be played on-site or virtually. It consists of a map and an avatar to guide players, as well as challenges, which make up the missions and can incorporate AR and trivia questions.
Dylan Karmin, senior at Sequoia High School and Vice Chair of the San Carlos YAC, shared that the mission he worked on was a partnership with the San Carlos Education Foundation and focused on the history of Burton Park. Through the process, Karmin learned more about the park’s unique history, such as who founded it and who various landmarks are named after, which he is excited to share with San Carlos residents.
“I think it’s important for people, especially youth, to know where they grew up and who paved the way for San Carlos today. The program shines a light on the past that many of us don’t know about, helping us gain an appreciation for the people before us and celebrate what makes the city so special,” Karmin said.
Reflecting on the present status of the program, Licko explained that there has been extensive community engagement, with more than 100 plays for each of the released missions. There has also been overwhelming support and participation from local businesses in San Carlos who see the app as a low-stakes, high-reward way of getting involved with the community. Licko highlighted how rare it is to coordinate a program that all ages can access and enjoy, yet she believes “Agents of Discovery” has been able to do that.
Sequoia Leger, a Carlmont sophomore who recently tried out the application, shared her thoughts.
“I think the app could inspire people to go out to parks and explore. With the app’s current infrastructure, I think it’s aimed at younger kids. I’m not sure how often younger kids explore parks, but I think the app has a unique potential to attract kids and parents alike,” Leger said.
Licko explained that, based on the missions’ monthly player data, the program has been a success and has had extensive community engagement and impact.
“My goal for the program is for each player to learn something new every time they play a mission. Whether they learn about an organization, park, or San Carlos history, I hope people take away something new! After San Carlos’ Centennial year, I hope the program continues to engage the community with trivia on local businesses, programs, or resources. While I don’t quite know what 2026’s ‘Agents of Discovery’ content will look like, I am confident that the Youth Advisory Council will continue to engage the community with new and unique trivia about our surrounding community,” Licko said.
