“I didn’t know anything about computer coding before this,” said senior Michael Whalen, “but it’s simpler than I thought it would be and actually pretty easy to learn.”
Many Mahopac High School students who participated with schools all over the nation during the Hour of Code echoed that sentiment. The event, facilitated at the high school by math and computer science teacher John Faitakes, was designed to introduce students of all ages to computer coding through fun coding activities on the school's website.
“We are hoping to help all students discover that they can code,” said Faitakes. He, along with students from his computer programming and computer security classes who acted as class monitors, set up each computer in the computer labs with coding programs from the website. Sophomore Rebekah Ceballos, who acted as a monitor for the class, said it was rewarding helping other students see how accessible coding is.
“They felt proud that they can do it and learned that they actually like it,” said Ceballos. “Even other teachers came in to learn how to code.”
Faitakes made the class self-exploratory for students, writing directions on the board such as:
- Don’t log off.
- Stay focused.
- If you have a question, raise your hand.
- Have fun.
“Kids need to know how to fully use and understand computers,” said Faitakes. “Everyone can code; everyone can learn this.”
Jake Novick, a junior in Faitakes’ class, said that once students see how accessible coding is, it makes them want to learn more.
“The Hour of Code was helpful because it showed people they can do this. People are so dependent on computers, but they need to know what goes behind the click of the keypad,” said Novick.
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