Last week was Computer Science Education Week, and schools and companies around the globe participated through various coding education programs. At SHS, students coded all day in Mr. Hoffert’s computer science room.

As part of the new AP Computer Science curriculum, students have been working in class to complete Performance Tasks to send to the College Board in April. The students are instructed to write their own code and submit a creative project of their choice as part of their AP exam grade.

The students in the class come from a wide variety of experience. Some students have never learned to code while other have taken multiple classes in the computer science curriculum.

“I originally took the class because I am planning to major in engineering, and I wanted to get experience,” said Alex Newberg, 12.

The class was new last year, and it already has four bells of students. With access to online coding websites and the features built into the classroom, such as Virtual Reality, students are opened up to a whole world of learning.

Every Friday, the computer science students watch movies related to the content they are learning in class. These movies discuss the past, present, and future of the field and how it has been represented in the public eye.

“Fab Friday is fun because we are able to see how computer science is portrayed in the world and how it continues to change,” said Jane Lundgren, 12.

Computer science is one of the fastest growing fields, and acquiring these skills early allows students to get ahead in college curriculum. Many government initiatives such as “Computer Science for All” have aimed to increasing funding for education to open access to high paying jobs.