1 week Ago
POTLATCH — Students at Potlatch Elementary School jumped into coding for a fourth consecutive year. Volunteers from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories visited the school for its annual day-long Hour of Code. Students from first to sixth grade were able to create their own animations and play mini games in Code.
org, a program designed to teach the basics of coding. John Cassleman, SEL’s director of education and community outreach, said part of the reason the company keeps coming is because they enjoy seeing students’ progress. “It’s a huge success each year,” he said.
“We recognize a lot of the same kids, like the ones we saw in first grade are in fourth now. ..
. It’s a privilege to see how much they’ve grown.” Another reason, he said, is because Principal Jill Diamond keeps asking them back.
“I really see Jill as a leader in the region,” he said. “No other school is doing a full day of coding. We might go to a classroom for an hour, but this is the biggest one by far.
” Diamond said she’s always looking for ways to expand students’ learning opportunities. The idea came when she and her husband Shawn Jordan, a computer programmer at SEL, were talking about overlapping characteristics of work one evening. “There’s been this global movement that celebrates the specific skill of coding,” she said.
“And we wanted to connect our little town to that opportunity students have across the world.” The event benefits students in many ways. Diamond said kids are introduced to different career paths they may take interest in.
“We want to give them a wide variety of experiences to draw from because you never know what will spark a student’s passion,” she said. “And we want to build confidence early on.” She said the skills they learn while coding transfer to other aspects of the school day.
.
