This week, the week of December 9-13, Albany High will be hosting an hour of code event. Many have heard the announcements, or seen the flyers posted all around the school but the question people still have is: “What is Hour of Code?”

Hour of Code is a global movement by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org that reaches millions of students in over 180 countries to introduce them to computer science and programming. 

The event is set to take place at Albany High on Tuesday, December 10th and it will be held at the library from 3-4. There will be an opportunity to speak to Doctor. Andre Castagna, a teacher at our school that has a wide array of experience in multiple fields of engineering. This includes aeronautical engineering and computer science. He also serves the head mentor for the electrical and programming groups for Albany High’s winning robotics team. 

The event will consist of the opportunity for students to engage in a variety of computer science activities that include fun games, programming vex robots and even stepping into the realm of text based programming in a language called JavaScript. Individuals with computer science knowledge of all levels are more than welcome to attend, and it is not limited to only students. There are teachers that have expressed interest in attending and they will be greeted with open arms as well. 

There will be prizes and competitions for students and teachers to participate in, but the overall benefit will come from being introduced to a skill that is becoming a more integral aspect of everyday life as the world’s technology progresses. Computer science is a skill that will only continue to grow, and it is your choice about whether or not you want to grow with it. 

The flyers around the school that can be found on all floors contains a QR code that will take students to a survey put together to have an idea of who will attend, and the extent of their computer science knowledge. So stop by the library this Tuesday to jump start that path!