St. Anne’s-Belfield School (Virginia) is one of a few schools in the nation to implement a computer science curriculum in grades K-12. The curriculum will start in earnest in the 2015-16 school year with coding, making, and computational thinking integrated throughout existing classes, added as new courses in the high school, and developed for cocurricular opportunities at all grade levels.
“Our Computer Science Initiative is not only a significant commitment to teaching our students the technological skills they will need in the years ahead but an opportunity to hone the ways in which they approach problems and design solutions through computational thinking,” says Head of School David Lourie.
Kim Wilkens and Zach Minster, who both hold degrees in computer science, will coordinate the initiative. Wilkens, founder of local nonprofit Tech-Girls, has taught technology in K-8 schools since 2001 and has spoken nationally and globally on the subject. Minster brings years of experience teaching and authoring curricula at the middle school, high school, and university levels.
“By integrating computer science into the K-12 curriculum, St. Anne’s-Belfield School joins a small but growing number of schools that recognize these are not just job-preparation skills, but lifelong skills that empower our students to take control of how tech will affect their lives, their culture, and their future,” says Wilkens.
For more information, visit www.stab.org/computerscience.