Hot Springs, Lakeside on governor’s tour

Hot Springs World Class High School and Lakeside High School were recently announced as stops on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s fifth computer coding tour.

The tour will kick off on Tuesday and continue through Aug. 28, when the governor will visit both schools. Hutchinson will speak to Lakeside students in grades 6-12 about his computer science initiative at 1 p.m. in the Lakeside Athletic Complex before he visits Hot Springs High.

“I am kicking off my fifth computer science tour this week, and the difference between what was happening in the state on the first tour two years ago and now is tremendous,” Hutchinson said.

“Thanks to the amazing response from educators, students and the business community, Arkansas continues to lead the nation in computer-science education. National publications are writing stories about us. Companies are considering Arkansas because they see the strong workforce we are creating. Computer coding classes have become so popular that some schools have a waiting list of students. Teachers have access to training and resources that they did not have before we started our Computer Coding Initiative.”

The governor is scheduled to visit high schools Harrison, Alpena and Green Forest on Tuesday. He is then scheduled to visit Beebe and Forrest City high schools on Thursday.

The focus of the tour is to promote computer science and encourage students to enroll in courses this fall.

“Arkansas is truly becoming a tech hub, and I can’t wait to hit the road and meet even more of our talented students to spread the word about coding and their future in Arkansas’ economy,” Hutchinson said.