Business, computer science students to host “Hour of Code”

Jaren Tankersley, Co-Editor in Chief|December 8, 2015

Those+participating+in+the+Hour+of+Code+will+go+through+tutorials+including+characters+from+Minecraft%2C+Frozen+and+Star+Wars.

Allison Koontz

Those participating in the “Hour of Code” will go through tutorials including characters from Minecraft, Frozen and Star Wars.

The computer science and business students will host an “Hour of Code” event for the fourth graders of Reeves-Hinger Elementary, Lakeview Elementary and Crestview Elementary in the 1300 hallway on Thursday and Friday of this week.

The event will feature a series of tutorials designed to introduce elementary aged children to computer sciences and programming. Computer Science teacher Lance Culbert said that the “Hour of Code” event creates future opportunities for participants.

“I think that one of the reasons we need to do this is because there are such good opportunities to get started in a career in computer science,” Culbert said. “WT’s computer science department has 100 percent job placement, as there are a lot more jobs than people.”

Culbert said that the fourth grade participants were able to learn very quickly the last time that Canyon High hosted “Hour of Code.”

“Last year was the first time that we invited kids to come do it here, and my high school students were  surprised at how fast they progressed at the exercises,” Culbert said. “ I think there’s this misconception that you have to be really smart or really gifted to be able to do computer science but that’s not it. These fourth graders, they came in, and they were going through it really fast, and it was a lot of fun.”