Before the end of the second quarter and start of semester exams, Brother Martin students participated in several activities to promote Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek). The U.S. House of Representatives designated December 5-11, 2016 as CSEdWeek in recognition of the significant role that computing and critical thinking play in our society.
On Friday, students and teachers were encouraged to participate in the ‘Hour of Code’ during their unstructured periods. The ‘Hour of Code’ is a nationwide initiative of www.code.org to introduce millions of students to at least one hour of computer programming. All of Brother Martin’s computer science courses introduced their students to some level of programming, but the ‘Hour of Code’ activities were open to all students regardless of their current enrollment in a computing course. Hopefully, individuals who are exposed to programming for the first time enjoy it and pursue more than just one hour of self-directed learning.
Following the academic day on Friday, the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team partnered with the St. Mary’s Dominican High School robotics team for a joint practice on Dominican’s campus in the Gayle and Tom Benson Science and Technology Complex. The two teams worked together to continue constructing and programming their team’s individual robots in an effort to prepare for league qualifiers next quarter. Students shared more than just refreshments. They also discussed ideas and solutions to challenges that they have faced with this season’s FTC game called “VELOCITY VORTEX.” The two teams have already begun plans to meet once again before their first competition to continue the beneficial collaboration between the two schools.
The CyberPatriot team competed in their second qualifying round of the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program taking place over a six-hour time period on Saturday. CyberPatriot is designed to attract students to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)—specifically cybersecurity. Brother Martin’s All Service Division team, consisting of NJROTC cadets Brandon Bonvillian, Nicholas Code, Nicholas Flot, Harrison Hedgpeth and Michael Serié, finished as the overall top team in Louisiana. Also, the Open Division team, comprised of students Joseph Bordelon, John Miltenberger, Daniel Petrov and Michael Zuppardo, were the best team in their category from Louisiana. Both Brother Martin teams await the official results to see where they will be ranked before January’s state competition.
Computer science and other technological jobs are in higher demand and offer higher-than-average starting salaries compared to any other discipline in today’s world. However, learning even the basics will help students lead in virtually all careers as programming has tapped into nearly every occupational field. Brother Martin values a rigorous computer science curriculum and varied opportunities for its students to discover more about technology.
