TOWSON, MD—Five Baltimore County Public Schools were among the inaugural group of 160 schools nationally to receive CS100 Awards from CS is Elementary and CSforAll.

CS100 Awards recognize elementary schools that commit to teaching at least 10 hours per year of computer science to every student in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The BCPS schools were among a subset of honorees to receive “All-In” awards for offering instruction aligned to all state or local standards for computer science education.

The honored BCPS schools are:

• Hawthorne Elementary – Michelle Schnell, teacher; Jennifer Burch, acting principal
• Hebbville Elementary – Hagit Barrett, teacher; Jordan Filderman, principal
• Mays Chapel Elementary – Bethany Berkowitz, teacher; Steve Coco, principal
• Oliver Beach Elementary – Kimberly Myers, teacher; Lynne Palmer, principal
• Sparks Elementary – Jill Crowley, teacher; Magan Chyko-Leigh, principal

“We are so proud of these schools, teachers, and principals for ensuring that our elementary students receive a strong foundation in computer science,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “Their trendsetting efforts are sure to be duplicated across the county.”

According to CS is Elementary and CSforAll, less than 6 percent of U.S. high school students take even one computer science class.

“It turns out that computer science is a literacy, and like other literacies, it must be acquired in the elementary grades,” said John Pearce, CS is Elementary executive director. “We owe every child a solid understanding of coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, data science, and computational thinking to prepare them for the digital future.”

Photo via Pixabay