Last year, all three divisions of Notre Dame spent about an hour learning computer code.
Notre Dame’s fourth-annual Hour of Code event is taking place this week on Wednesday, Dec. 7, and according to administration officials, it’s a great opportunity to experience what could become a great path to career success in this still-new century.
“As computer science is driving job growth and innovation throughout our economy and society, every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science,” said Eden Konja, Notre Dame’s director of information and academic technology “It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. And, by starting early, students will have a foundation for success in most any 21st-century career path.”
As an illustration, Konja said that Michigan currently has 15,006 open computing jobs (four times the average job demand rate in Michigan). He also said the average salary for a computing occupation in Michigan is $78,001, which is significantly higher than the average salary in the state of $46,310.
The Hour of Code™ is a nationwide one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. It provides a variety of fun, hour-long tutorials for students of all ages, created by a variety of partners. These self-guided Hour of Code™ tutorials allow individuals to work at their own pace and skill-level.
Konja also noted that the school’s network will be more than able to handle the better-than-average traffic the event will generate at one time and should perform well. Last year at NDPMA, there were 1,167 students—from preschoolers to seniors—participating in coding in addition to many faculty and staff.
This year, the Hour of Code, which is touted as a one-hour "introduction to computer science designed to demystify coding and show that anybody can learn the basics of the computer programming language," occurs during Computer Science Education Week, an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take an interest in computer science.
More about the Hour of Code
The Hour of Code is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. Coding does not need to only happen once a year, parents and their children are encouraged to continue to participate yearlong.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School a