Compass has been very fortunate to have a parent and volunteer extraordinaire, Sarah Woeher, teaching an intensive on coding specifically designed for girls.
The curriculum is part of a national program called Girls Who Code. Sarah and the girls have all learned a lot and had fun doing it for this six-week Intensive block! Sarah had this to say about the experience:
At the end of each week of the Girls Who Code intensive, the girls have the opportunity to share something they learned or thought was really cool. The first week, the overwhelming answer was something like, “I learned that Girls Who Code is a thing.” Learning that Girls Who Code is bigger than their intensive and that it’s so much more than learning how to write code made an impact! In the following weeks, answers related to the Women In Tech spotlights have been popular.
“I learned where the phrase ‘debugging’ comes from.” - Lily W
“I did more of my animation on climate change, I set a goal, and I learned more about some amazing women!” - Amelka
Through this activity, the girls have learned about women that have used their skills to create all kinds of solutions; the first compiler, an online educational platform for deaf students, and an invention to help someone with Parkinson’s disease to be able to write again, just to name a few. We’ve talked about how seeing representation and having role models to look towards is important. The Girls Who Code curriculum also ties the experiences of these role models to four strengths, Bravery, Resilience, Creativity, and Purpose. Learning how to practice these strengths will help these girls, not just during Girls Who Code, but throughout all of their experiences!