GlobalHack and CSEdWeek: A Peek Into Youth Coding League
With Computer Science Education Week kicking off December 3 — December 7, GlobalHack is proud of its role in bringing computer science education programs to the St. Louis community.
GlobalHack’s Youth Coding League is halfway over, which means that the teams just took part in the program’s Mid-Season Competition. The Youth Coding League (YCL) is a competitive coding program for middle school students. Student teams work alongside coaches to learn Python and prepare for a final, spectator-friendly coding competition. Industry mentors, typically current software developers, provide additional support and guidance to League teams.
For the Mid-Season Competition, students were asked to create two projects. Challenge 1: The Art Contest tested teams’ understanding of the arcade library’s drawing functionality. Challenge 2: Roll the Dice! asked teams to create a text-based dice program that allows the user to roll a die and output the result.
This team, the Fluffy Alpacas, were recognized for their excellent artwork in Challenge 1. They went above and beyond in creating multiple pieces, including a director’s chair, a ticket, and even their namesake: a fluffy alpaca!
The team Hacking Catholics from St. Raphael the Archangel won for their Roll The Dice Game, complete with graphical user interface.
Nipher Middle School’s team won best overall for both projects. Their drawing for Challenge 1 was actually an animation of a windshield, where the raindrops disappeared as the wiper went over them. Challenge 2 used classes, going above and beyond the content included in the standard curriculum.
Guests are welcome to attend the Youth Coding League final competition on Saturday, January 28, and see the games that these talented middle school students produce. Guest registration and more information is available here.
Interested in getting started with computer science education, but not sure how to begin? Check out our handy guide here, with free resources for teachers, students and parents.
