Forest Ridge School and Code Fellows Partner for an Hour of Code

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A Forest Ridge Middle School student works on creating computer programming code during "Hour of Code" activities on Dec. 9.

This is the kind of activity that will benefit students in college and beyond.

Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) December 11, 2013

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue and Code Fellows, the only technical education provider that guarantees a $60,000 tech job after graduation, are working together to celebrate Computer Science Education Week (December 9-15) by teaching an Hour of Code to students as part of an international campaign to provide computer science instruction to kids. With more than 2.3 million students registered across 145 countries, the Hour of Code is expected to be the largest online education event in history.

“We’ve partnered with Code Fellows to provide each of our students with an Hour of Code instruction that not only teaches basic coding principles – but also fosters critical thinking in the areas of science and math,” said Christine Witcher, Math and Science Teacher at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. “This type of experience can give students a richer context for the core concepts that they’ve learned in the classroom – by showing them where they can be applied outside of the classroom.”

The Hour of Code initiative was started by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to promoting computer science education, and is being supported by multiple organizations and individuals, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Hoffman and Jack Dorsey. The initiative asks schools, teachers and parents to help introduce students of all ages to computer programming during Computer Science Education Week.

“I commend Code Fellows and Forest Ridge for coming together to engage students in an Hour of Code,” said Hadi Partovi, Co-Founder and CEO of Code.org. “It’s a perfect example of how an organization with technical resources can give back to their community – and how a school can embrace the talents of area businesses and get them involved.”

Forest Ridge teachers and Code Fellows instructors are working with nearly 200 students, ranging from 5th grade to 8th grade, over the course of two days – December 9 and Thursday, December 12. Together they will oversee a variety of tutorials designed to introduce programming vocabulary, highlight basic programming techniques and illustrate the need for functions. The High School at Forest Ridge is also participating in Hour of Code activities in each math class this week.

“We are excited about our participation in ‘Hour of Code,’” said Julie Thenell Grasseschi, Director of Middle School at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. “This is the kind of activity that will benefit students in college and beyond.”

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with Forest Ridge students, and we’re very excited to introduce them to the intellectual and creative joys of coding,” said Will Little, CEO of Code Fellows. “Our hope is that we can inspire them to take a genuine interest in programming – so that they pick it up on their own and run with it.”

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