Mono-Amaranth PS celebrates girls in coding with Hackergal school club
November 19, 2019
MONO, Ontario – Girls in grades 6-8 at Mono-Amaranth Public School have been given the opportunity to learn about coding through their school’s Hackergals club.
Hackergal works to introduce Canadian girls to coding through the experience of a hackathon. This non-profit organization strives to increase the representation of women in the tech industry.
The MAPS Hackergals meet in the Library Learning Commons once a week for 50 minutes to practise their skills. The group also has the option to visit the library during their second break to continue their learning.
The group formed last fall as a result of preparing for the hackathon. Students participated in six lessons prior to participating in the full day event. This year the students at MAPS have moved to a new coding platform, LYNX Coding. LYNX is a Canadian company with a coding platform dedicated to pushing the students to learn to write their own code.
Students have learned to code many things this year including sounds, buttons, sliders, pages, sprites, moving sprites and much more.
According to Linda Greer, Teacher Librarian at MAPS, “This program is so rewarding. Learning to code is a life lesson – there are often multiple ways to get to the same place and mistakes are your best opportunity for learning.”
This team will be well prepared for the hackathon later this year which will see students “hacking” toward solving a challenge as a team.
To learn more about the Hackergal initiative, visit the Hackergal website.
