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FOLSOM, Calif. Folsom High School’s Career and Technical Education Department recently received a $50,000 grant from the California Department of Education to fund new computer science classes to open in the coming school year.
This Specialized Secondary Program (SSP) Grant helps fund specialized programs throughout high schools to help students “explore areas of study in a deeper way while developing knowledge and skills that will prepare them for postsecondary education and careers.”
The extensive application for this grant took one month to complete, and it included 12 letters of support from staff at FCUSD, Folsom High School, Intel Corporation, Folsom Lake College, Sutter Middle School, Robots Lab, and Aldebaran Robotics.
This grant will assist in funding two new classes at Folsom High School—Exploring Computer Science and Computer Animation and Game Design—which seek to develop students’ computer science skills through coding and programming. The grant will also pay for some of the planning materials for the classes, as well as training and workshops for the teachers.
Jean Cavanaugh, who is currently teaching Computer Applications and ROP Web Design, will be teaching the Exploring Computer Science class. She said, “Only five percent of high schools in the United States are offering computer science courses. A computer science career has been, and will continue to be, a highly sought after profession. This class will introduce students to coding and programming with the hopes of them moving on to more advanced computer science courses in the future.”
Scott Southard, who has been teaching technology courses for 14 years, will be teaching the Computer Animation and Game Design class, in addition to his media productions classes. He says, “It’s a growing job field and teaches good collaborative workplace skills.”
Cavanaugh is excited for her new class and has already made a significant purchase with a NAO Robot. As students learn coding, this robot will perform all the actions that students put into the programming, including talking, walking and even dancing.
This year, the advanced web design students have been testing the robot, and Cavanaugh said she was amazed at the amount of team work it took to get the robot to make a few moves.
Folsom High Receives a Grant For Computer Science And Game Design Pathway
May 16, 2014
FOLSOM, Calif. Folsom High School’s Career and Technical Education Department recently received a $50,000 grant from the California Department of Education to fund new computer science classes to open in the coming school year.
This Specialized Secondary Program (SSP) Grant helps fund specialized programs throughout high schools to help students “explore areas of study in a deeper way while developing knowledge and skills that will prepare them for postsecondary education and careers.”
The extensive application for this grant took one month to complete, and it included 12 letters of support from staff at FCUSD, Folsom High School, Intel Corporation, Folsom Lake College, Sutter Middle School, Robots Lab, and Aldebaran Robotics.
This grant will assist in funding two new classes at Folsom High School—Exploring Computer Science and Computer Animation and Game Design—which seek to develop students’ computer science skills through coding and programming. The grant will also pay for some of the planning materials for the classes, as well as training and workshops for the teachers.
Jean Cavanaugh, who is currently teaching Computer Applications and ROP Web Design, will be teaching the Exploring Computer Science class. She said, “Only five percent of high schools in the United States are offering computer science courses. A computer science career has been, and will continue to be, a highly sought after profession. This class will introduce students to coding and programming with the hopes of them moving on to more advanced computer science courses in the future.”
Scott Southard, who has been teaching technology courses for 14 years, will be teaching the Computer Animation and Game Design class, in addition to his media productions classes. He says, “It’s a growing job field and teaches good collaborative workplace skills.”
Cavanaugh is excited for her new class and has already made a significant purchase with a NAO Robot. As students learn coding, this robot will perform all the actions that students put into the programming, including talking, walking and even dancing.
This year, the advanced web design students have been testing the robot, and Cavanaugh said she was amazed at the amount of team work it took to get the robot to make a few moves.
Southard said, “I am really grateful to have the support of the grant.” He hopes that this will lead to the second phase of the grant cycle so Folsom High could potentially upgrade the two computer labs.
Not only do these new and innovative programs make FCUSD stand out among the rest, but with this generous funding, these new and innovative programs are models for continued success in our schools for years to come.
Not only do these new and innovative programs make FCUSD stand out among the rest, but with this generous funding, these new and innovative programs are models for continued success in our schools for years to come.