The Chapel School Students Celebrate Computer Science Education Week

The Chapel School Students Celebrate Computer Science Education Week

Bronxville, NY- In early December, students at The Chapel School celebrated Computer Science Education Week with various technological activities. They participated in the Hour of Code. “A global movement reaching tens of millions of students in over 180 countries. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts.” According to their website, “Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.” (https://hourofcode.com/us)

Middle School students taught the preschool and elementary school grades how to use the online coding program Lightbot (lightbot.com/hoc.html). This cross-generational opportunity helped students share their coding knowledge to over 350+ participating students. According to Mr. Martinez, The Chapel School technology teacher, “The turnout was great and so much more than expected! I even ran out of certificates because of the high number of participants.” Visiting grades were also able to view a 3D printer in action, experience Virtual Reality applications, tinker with an Arduino, and observe a drone in flight.

Later in the week, Andy Iyer, Senior Software Engineer at IAC Applications, visited and volunteered his time to speak to the students about his experiences while working at IACapplications (iacapps.com). Mr. Iyer graduated with a degree in Computer Science and has over 13 years of experience in computer software development. Mr. Iyer states, “My main goal to volunteer for this initiative is to empower kids with technology.” IAC has created many popular browser, mobile, and desktop applications including as TelevisionFanatic, WeatherLive, and Emoji Keypad.

The Chapel School will also be partnering with Legends of Learning (legendsoflearning.com) to expose students to the process a video game goes through before official release. The students will be beta-testing games, aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), throughout the year.

The Chapel School is located at 172 White Plains Road in Bronxville, New York. And has been named the 2016 Best Private School & Best Preschool in Westchester. For more information about the Chapel School and its programs, please call 914-337-3202 or visit the website at www.thechapelschool.org