Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools Jan/Feb 2018 | Page 5

Wesley Chapel parent helps students connect coding to everyday life
During the week of Dec. 4, Union County Public Schools
celebrated Computer Science Education Week, the annual
nationwide celebration that highlights the importance of computer
science in education systems.
Every UCPS student spent the week practicing computer
science-related skills that included analyzing and interpreting
data, planning and carrying out investigations, designing solutions
and more.
When Wesley Chapel Elementary parent David Newell, who
works in the technology sector at Bank of America, learned that
the school district was expanding its recognition of Hour of Code
to a weeklong celebration of computer science, he didn’t hesitate
to volunteer to spend the week teaching computer science to
Wesley Chapel Elementary students in every grade level.
“At work, coding is part of what I do. (Wesley Chapel
Elementary teacher) Ms. Mayfield knew that I worked with
computers, so she reached out to me and asked if I would be
willing to help out this week,” David said, adding that he’s enjoyed
volunteering for the past few years during the school’s Hour of
Code sessions. “And I said, Absolutely.”
As he guided a class of kindergarteners through code.org
programs and exercises, David said that his focus when working
with the students isn’t specifically about teaching them to
code. It’s about taking the code other people have written and
leveraging it to do even more, he said.
“They are working on computer science skills, and that
includes problem solving, constructing sequences and pattern
recognition. So what they’re doing is definitely more than just
sitting here and writing code,” he said. “At the end of this week,
I want the students to have walked away not being afraid of
a computer or even afraid of something they’ve never seen or
done before. When faced with a challenge, I want them to say to
themselves, “I can do this. I can get in there and figure it out.’”
Fourth grade student Ava Lanzy said that while she plans to
be an artist when she grows up, she looks forward to her coding
sessions with David each year.
“I really enjoy it. It’s fun and cool because I get to work on
doing strategies and things like that,” Ava said. “Yes, it’s coding,
but it’s also a workout for your brain.”
Echoing that sentiment, Ava’s classmate Chrys Rigas said that
he has also worked on coding during the school’s Hour of Code
sessions during the past several years, and really enjoyed working
with code.org again this year.
“I love it. It’s really fun, it keeps me energized and makes me
feel good about myself,” he said, adding that he wants to be a
dentist when he grows up. “I think it’s going to help me in the future
because it teaches me to think more before making a decision.”
Third grade teacher Kim Mayfield, who organized the coding
sessions, said parents and community member who volunteered
during Computer Science Education Week were instrumental in
helping to demystify coding and computer science for students.
And the biggest walk away from having someone in the
community help, is that students have an opportunity to hear
about computer science from someone other than their teachers,
said Wesley Chapel Principal Dr. Mike Henderson.
“To hear from someone like Mr. Newell, who works with
software all day, and have them be able to parallel that experience
with a class of kindergartners is just invaluable,” he said. “Our
volunteers are helping students make real life connections.”
–This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools
Communication Office.
During the week of Dec. 4, Union County Public Schools celebrated
Computer Science Education Week, the annual nationwide
celebration that highlights the importance of computer science in
education systems. Wesley Chapel Elementary parent David Newell
volunteered to spend the week at the elementary school teaching
computer science to students in every grade level.
19
93-2018
25
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Parent Teacher Magazine • Jan/Feb 2018 • 3