Notre Dame’s third annual Hour of Code event took place the week of December 7-13, and according to administration officials, this year’s event was a resounding success.
“It was very exciting to watch each grade complete various levels of coding and move on to a more challenging codes,” said Director of Information and Academic Technology Eden Konja. “Students were completely focused on what they were doing and used their problem-solving skills to piece together the coding language. When they completed each level, they were so proud of what they accomplished, making it a real ‘aha!’ moment for them.”
Konja said the school’s network was able to handle the more-than-average traffic at one time and performed well during the event, which is a one-hour introduction to computer science designed to demystify coding and show that anybody can learn the basics of the computer programming language. The event was aligned with national Computer Science Education Week.
“Having students work with computer programming is so crucial for today's 21st-century learners as computer science drives job growth and innovation throughout our economy and society,” said Melissa York, technology specialist and 8th grade mathematics teacher.
“The Hour of Code provides an opportunity for all students to be exposed to computer science and nurtures other skills such as logic and creativity,” York added. “It is such an advantage that our students have their own device as each of them was able to participate at their own pace and skill-level. Students were able to select from a variety of tutorials which included new additions such as Star Wars and Minecraft. These hour-long tutorials provided a variety of fun for all of our students.”
This year at NDPMA there were 1,167 students—from preschoolers to seniors—participating in coding as well as many faculty and staff, Konja said.
About the Hour of Code
The Hour of Code is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week www.csedweek.org] and Code.org [www.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.
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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 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 and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.