For a week in the beginning of December, Wilde Lake students had an hour long break from their science classes to create their own versions of popular games like Disney’s Frozen or Flappy Bird. Students were able to program these games during the Hour of Code, using the nonprofit Code.org website.

Dr. Renee Foose, the Howard County Superintendent, made the decision to sign up all of the Howard County high schools for the opportunity to participate in the Hour of Code. Media Specialist Ms. Bailey took charge of the program at Wilde Lake.

“Next year we are going to implement more coding into technology classes so everyone has a chance to code for more than one hour. Most jobs in the future will probably require coding,” said Ms. Bailey. “At least if students don’t like it, they won’t be scared of it.”

The website used during the Hour of Code “was really user-friendly and easy to use,” said sophomore Akira Jarrett.

The site was designed to have clear instructions so that anyone could participate, even if they didn’t have prior coding experience.

Sophomore Desmyn Stevenson was hesitant at first but said “it actually was fun,” once she got involved in the activity.

Ms. Bailey believes the Hour of Code was a rewarding experience for all students, as she stresses the relevance of coding in the future.

“There will be a lot of high-paying coding jobs in the future; maybe even more jobs than people,” said Ms. Bailey.