Years of coding practice culminate in some of the Bellmore School District’s leading student coders teaming up in the Shore Road School Coding Club to pursue their passion and eventually compete against other teams.
Fifth and sixth graders gather each we ek in the library to hone their coding skills with guidance from technology teachers Lauren McHale and Lauren DeStefano. Coding challenges range in difficulty and have students craft the behind-the-scenes instructions that lead to impressive results, including animating sprites, creating a functional calculator, or making a program that displays your age on each of the solar system’s planets. As they collaborate and complete codes at increasing skill levels, students keep track of their progress by collecting stickers that are posted to a chart.
"Coding instills critical problem-solving skills in students," Mrs. McHale said. "When their code doesn't work, the ability to persevere, think critically, and find solutions on their own is essential."
In the Coding Club, as students take part in the innovative activity, friends also find an outlet to bond and look forward to an ultimate goal. In May, club members will compete in the annual Hackathon, which brings together local elementary schools and in which Shore Road won third place last year.
“I started watching tech videos when I was younger, and I joined because it’s become my passion and a hobby for me,” said fifth grader Colin Hayes.
“It feels really good when you put in so much work hoping the code does what you want it to do – and it did it!” said sixth grader Hailey Pepe, who competed in the Hackathon last year.
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Date Added: 11/14/2024
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