Four LH students selected for state’s coding program
PEARCY — Four students at Lake Hamilton High School who were selected for the UpSkill Coding Program are now six weeks into the program.
The Arkansas Department of Education Office of Computer Science provided the Arkansas Public School Resource Center with a grant to enroll up to 250 high school students in UpSkill at the Arkansas State University in Jonesboro Swift Coding program for the 2020 fall semester at no cost to the student or the school, according to the university’s website.
UpSkill is an online learning opportunity for high school students who want to develop in-demand job skills, the website said.
“This program offers students an affordable, flexible and convenient learning experience in which they can develop skills to expand their future opportunities in a growing digital world,” it said.
Each program will be taught online for eight weeks and the
students will receive nine college credit hours once the course is completed, the website said.
Garrett Horton, a junior, said he looks at the program like he would look at his other advanced placement classes. “It’s not as hard as some of those other classes. … It feels relatively normal.”
Ethan Smith, also a junior, said it is nice to be selected for the program, noting he is learning a lot.
Jeffrey Cable, a senior, said he mainly wanted to take the class to see if he wanted to continue computer science once he goes to college, adding that he likes it so far.
Samuel Schroeder, a junior, said the class has been easy so far because it is the end of the year, and he and the other students have had computer science classes before.
Horton said he feels that nothing special happened to make the committee select him into the program.
“I feel the reason I got selected was because I went through the process of trying to get in. I feel like it would be very easy to get in. I can’t imagine too many people did not get it,” he said.
Horton said they had to get up at a specific time of day to sign up for the class.
He said he believes one of the skills he will develop is to not procrastinate as much, noting the course is on Blackboard.
“I’m hoping I’ll develop a sense of urgency. Also, a Swifting level because this is a college Swift class. So far, it’s been the same as most computer science classes that I’ve taken,” Horton said.
Smith said it is a college class, so if they don’t turn something in, then that is on them, noting it is teaching them levels of college work ethic.
“It’s a warm- up to college courses (and) online college courses,” he said.
Cable said he has taken AP classes throughout his high school years and feels there is not much difference in the course.
“I believe it is teaching us how to do (things) early and turn (things) in,” he said.
Horton said he likes being able to learn a new program. He noted he does have to get up a bit early, but he gets a college-level course for free, which will get him certified.
“It’s pretty neat. I’m happy with the easy access with it, and it seems like it’s pretty good so far,” he said.
“These boys I have had in class for several years … I adore them, and I wish them the best future, and I’m glad they had this opportunity to take this course from Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s initiative. I hope that they use it well with their future,” Karma Turner, a computer science teacher at Lake Hamilton High School, said.