Fresh off the Thanksgiving holiday, we hit the road again to connect with schools and inspire future coders. From snowy mornings in North Carolina to hands-on coding lessons in South Carolina, each stop showcased the passion of educators and the curiosity of students. Here’s a quick look at the latest highlights from the CodeHS road trip!
Stop 1: Triad Math and Science Academy
The first school visit back from Thanksgiving was in Greensboro, North Carolina, at Triad Math and Science Academy, which has a strong focus on math and science. We visited Ms. Permie Zigbuos’s 6th and 7th grade classes. Permie shared her appreciation for the structure of the CodeHS courses—starting with the foundational concepts before progressing into more advanced topics.
Stop 2: Faith Academy Charter School
Surprisingly, it was the coldest day so far on the road trip–20 degrees– as we made our way to Faith Academy Charter School. where we were fortunate enough to speak with their first-ever computer science class! Despite the chill, the warm welcome we received from their first-ever 9th and 10th grade computer science class made it worthwhile! Teacher Cindy Adkins, a long-time CodeHS user, launched the school’s computer science program using CodeHS. The students had recently completed the Karel challenges in the Intro to JavaScript course and were curious about the origins of the name "Karel." The visit was capped off with a group picture outside in front of the pink van to mark the beginning of their computer science journey.
Stop 3: West Florence High School
At West Florence High School, we had the opportunity to speak with nearly 300 students throughout the day. We delivered four sessions, combining multiple computer science classes. All of the teachers shared how much they loved CodeHS, which was great to hear! Overall, this was a wonderful visit, and we genuinely felt welcomed by everyone in the building.
Stop 4: Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies
Our visit to Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies focused on career presentations. Teachers Frank Smith, Lavern Henderson, and Craig Williams brought their classes together for the interactive presentation. The students were studying a variety of CS disciplines, but we got to demonstrate how CS is utilized in different career fields. Students were highly engaged, asking great questions ranging from "How does CS integrate into 'x' profession" to "Which majors of college programs would be the best fit for me to pursue 'x' CS career?” The teachers were all really appreciative of us coming by, as our visit reinforced the concepts they’re teaching in the classroom.. After the presentation, students explored the CodeHS van and surely inspired students to live that “van life!”
Stop 5: West Ashley High School
At West Ashley High School, we had the privilege of working with Lorien Cafarella’s and Katie Ringdahl’s classes. In South Carolina, these two computer science classes are part of a graduation requirement. Dr. Cafarella’s Fundamentals of Computing class, we led the "Graphics with Tracy the Turtle" Hour of Code lesson, sparking creativity as students drew unique designs. Several students expressed interest in taking her Python 1 class next semester. Meanwhile, in Ms. Ringdahl’s Fundamentals of Webpage Design and Development class, we hosted a careers presentation and the "Generating Beats with Code" Hour of Code lesson. Students enthusiastically created their own musical beats, enjoying a fun break from HTML coding.
These school visits have been an incredible opportunity to see firsthand how CodeHS is making a difference in classrooms across the country. We’re excited for the next stops on the journey and the chance to meet even more passionate students and educators. Stay tuned for more!
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Want CodeHS to visit your school?
We're well into the road trip and excited to visit even more schools along the way! You can still request a visit for the CodeHS team to make a stop at your school on the road trip. If you’re interested, request a visit here codehs.com/roadtrip.
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