28 Feb Foundation encourages coding during Hour of Code and beyond
As national engineering week comes to a close, we wanted to share out about the very successful Hour of Code that happened here in the Northshore School District.
13,303 students representing 29 of Northshore’s 32 engaged in Hour of Code activities during Computer Science Week December 9-15, 2019.
The Hour of Code is a unique program that provides accessible activities so K-12 students, teachers & community groups have the opportunity to demystify computer science and successfully code. Coding is an essential tool to succeed in the technology-rich future. ” – Myriam G. Juritz, Dr. Eng., Northshore Schools Foundation Board Member said.
Through coding, a student learns to break a problem into smaller parts and to systematically approach the solution. We think it’s important that every student is exposed to coding, and if they have an interest in it because it is a job skill required of one of the highest demand jobs of the future,” said Dr. Juritz.
The Hour of Code is organized by Code.org, a public 501c3 non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries with tutorials written in over 40 languages for students ages 4 to 104. This event provides a one-hour session for instructors to expose students in order to spark their interest in computer science topics no matter what field of study they eventually choose.
To encourage and promote the Hour of Code, the Northshore Schools Foundation partnered with the Northshore School District by coordinating an Hour of Code Session for the general public and providing incentives for student participation at schools. Each student participating in Hour of Code was given a certificate and a bracelet showing their participation. Each elementary school with 100% participation received a set of Coding oriented board games for use in the library, or for Family STEM nights. 11 schools including East Ridge, Frank Love, Hollywood Hill, Kenmore, Kokanee, Maywood Hills, Shelton View, Sunrise, Wellington, Westhill, Woodin, and Woodmoor. Middle Schools & High Schools who were interested received funds to help support coding groups at their school and encouraged students to apply for a special coding class at DigiPen offered by the Northshore Schools Foundation.
Eighteen students were selected to participate in a Beyond the Hour of Code workshop at DigiPen which featured a tour of the campus with Raymond & Michelle Yan, Digipen Vice President, and Program Director; Instruction by graduating senior Nathan Mueller and; a workshop about game design with Chief technology officer Samir Abou Samra.
During Hour of Code week, 20 Northshore School District Directors, Assistant Directors, and other leaders from Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment; Student Services; Accelerated Models & Programs; Business Services; Human Resources; Technology; and Support Services engaged in Hour of Code activities with students across multiple schools. Dr. Reid attended a session at Cottage Lake Elementary.
Special thanks to Zulu’s Board Game Cafe, for co-sponsoring the board games with the Foundation, and DigiPen for co-sponsoring the field trip.
Coding is a part of the Foundation’s funding priority to help students Build Skills for life. They have been providing funding to encourage coding since 2015.
