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Thanks to a coding program sponsored by Capital One, Fairfield Middle School recently earned a $10,000 grant for technology-focused education through the company’s C1 Coders program.
C1 Coders is a 10-week-long program aimed at middle school students who have interests in science, technology, engineering and math. The program is a part of Capital One’s Future Edge initiative, created to help Americans gain the skills to succeed in the 21st century’s technology-driven society.
Since its start in April 2014, C1 coders has partnered with 75 schools and non-profit organizations impacting around 9,000 students. The most recently session, which just concluded, included students from Fairfield Middle, as well as Binford and Boushall middle schools in Richmond and Falling Creek Middle School in Chesterfield.
Middle school is a critical time in a student’s learning experience, said Capital One Vice President of Software Engineering Melanie Frank, and C1 Coders is designed to help participating students delve into the basics of essential jobs being created today.
“The statistics on how many tech jobs are being created and the demand for software engineering skills in particular that we are going to have in the future versus the rate at which we are graduating those skills from college are just alarming,” Frank said.
The C1 program is attempting to combat those statistics by teaching students how to use problem solving and teamwork for software development. For students at Fairfield Middle, it’s a skill set that some may have never explored.
“For our population, it’s tremendous because our students don’t necessarily get exposed to things beyond their own community,” said Nora Case, a Fairfield teacher. “We’re trying to prepare them for the 21st century and to get a job.”
Using an application called MIT App Inventor, the students are able to design their own applications on Android devices. This includes coding skills such as building patterns, working with abstract functions and software design techniques.
Students are encouraged to think about what problems they would like to solve, what an app could create to help and what the users would need, Frank said.
“Coding is using your skills and what you have to build something that can better help people,” said KeShawn Roberts, student at Fairfield Middle School.
Roberts said he enjoyed using the skills he learned from C1 Coders to make games for everyone, and if there were challanges, he worked his hardest to get it done.
During the program’s closing event earlier this month, the students showcased what they learned when they unveiled their apps in front of an audience. Each of the participating schools also received a $10,000 grant for technology-focused education; but the best part of the night was when each student went home with their own laptop.
Capital One officials hope that the surprises inspire the students to continue working on what they learned during the 10-week-program.
“Developing software and helping the community and kids; when those two things come together it’s kind of the perfect thing for the technology team,” Frank said.
