FINDING THE PASSION TO CODE IN NDP'S NEW COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASS

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April 25, 2024

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

New course offering at Notre Dame Prep's middle school bolsters increasingly robust computer science curriculum.

Just six percent of high school students in the United States take computer science classes. The numbers are even lower for elementary and middle school. That's according to a March 2023 story on EdWeek.org, which went on the say that computer science enrollment remains low nationally despite significant pressure from the business community.

But you wouldn't know that if you checked out Notre Dame Prep. Especially after a new class called Coding rolls out in the middle school next school year to join an increasingly robust computer curriculum at nearly every level at NDP. 

"The coding class will be one of four rotating electives that NDP eighth-grade students will be taking next school year," said Melissa York, who is teaching the class and also serves as a technology specialist and sixth grade math teacher at the International Baccalaureate World School in Pontiac. "These elective classes will be nine-week rotations. So every nine weeks I will be working with a new group of eighth grade students and teaching them about coding. Other middle school teachers will continue to teach the other electives we offer in the rotating schedule for eighth graders."

At the upper school, Notre Dame Prep offers an Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course for juniors and seniors and CSA, or Computer Science for Applications, for seniors in which they learn about Java programming. Fundamentals of Computer Science, Introduction to Computer Aided Design (CATIA), Intermediate Computer Aided Design (CATIA), and Advance Computer Aided Design (CATIA) round out the computer science curriculum in NDP's upper school.

In addition, the first-in-the-nation engineering and empathy class, which debuted at NDP in 2019, utilizes an extensive array of computer software and coding for many of its projects. The course has become a favorite among the student body. 

Notre Dame's computer science curriculum also feeds into the school's highly successful robotics program, which in turn helps to supplement the computer courses with real hands-on and tangible hardware representations of the software codes.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame Prep joined an elite group of schools and school districts across the country this year in Code.org's District Program, putting NDP on a list of only four such schools or districts in Michigan that include National Heritage Academies, Detroit Public Schools and Chippewa Valley Schools. 

Collaboration with industry

Students are very excited about coding and bringing the new class to the middle school, according to York. She adds that much of the advancements overall in computer academics at Notre Dame Prep have been the result of key collaborations with industry organizations and associations.

"Microsoft and the Code.org District Program along with Oakland Schools are helping to prepare our teachers in the latest ed-tech teaching and curriculum for computer science," she said. "Due to these offerings, we are able to give students opportunities to explore computer science and expand students knowledge and understanding of these technological concepts in the curriculum."

She said, for example, the school has established a partnership with Technology Education and Learning Support (TEALS) from Microsoft Philanthropies, which builds sustainable computer science (CS) programs in high schools. 

"This partnership works with our teachers by bringing in experts in computer science to help build the curriculum and to share with students and staff their first-hand knowledge."

Students in Coding will be learning and utilizing the Code.org CS for Discoveries program, which is an introductory class specifically geared for middle school students who will be creating and expressing themselves in a variety of contexts and media, according to the syllabus. 

Having fun and engaging students

"Along with CS for Discoveries, other computer science programs students will engage in throughout the eighth grade rotation include micro:bit, and MakeCode through Microsoft," York said.

Just like next year's eighth graders, York says she is equally excited about bringing this new class to them.

"As technology keeps evolving, it is key for students to understand computer science concepts as it is now becoming such a crucial part of our students’ lives and a huge part of their future careers," she said. "With the help of our curriculum, students will develop foundational computer science skills to problem-solve, understand computational thinking, and use their skills to create the next levels of technology."

And it won't be all work, no play, she promises.

"Our new class is another example of the incredible resources out in the world and on our campus to help students learn about computer science and to make it a fun, engaging learning experience for them as they continue to learn and grow," she said. "My hope is that because of our CS offerings, students will find a passion in coding and problem-solving, which no doubt will benefit them in their future careers and life!"

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.