BCS Advantage Magazine Special Edition #9 | Page 5

Clyde A. Erwin Middle
School students in the
Girls Who Code club
talk about how to build
apps that solve real-
world problems.
BCS Coding at All
Middle Schools
By Tim Reaves, Communications Department
Buncombe County Schools’ focus on STEM education just got a big boost!
Thanks to a generous grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), BCS now
provides coding classes in all of our middle schools. The grant also pays for professional development, the
purchase of new equipment, and numerous career awareness activities.
“As technology continues to change and the demand for coding and coders increases, this grant will
assist us with resources and career awareness opportunities to help our students understand this new and
exciting world,” said Christy Cheek, BCS director of Career and Technical Education.
Project Lead the Way teacher Kathryn Bradley leads a Girls Who Code club at Clyde A. Erwin Middle School.
The club provides a framework for teaching computer science and developing a community support system
for young women who are interested in science, she said. Her students learn about coding and propose apps
and other digital tools to combat big problems like bullying, homelessness, and overcrowded animal shelters.
“The kids are really eager to learn these things,” Bradley said. “As a woman who’s really engaged in STEM,
it’s important to spread that, especially to girls.”
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education is one of BCS superintendent Dr. Tony
Baldwin’s four key priorities. Students who become prepared for STEM careers will have more opportunities
in an increasingly competitive and high-tech workforce. BCS aims to increase student, educator, and
institutional achievement in STEM fields while strengthening community support and buy-in.
After rolling out the coding classes, BCS plans to add app development classes to all seven middle schools by
the beginning of 2019 so our students have opportunities to gain deeper computer science understanding.
“It’s really exciting,” Cheek said. “This will give our middle schoolers a leg up as they prepare for high
school computer science and IT classes.”
Fifteen public school districts across the state were awarded grants via the new Coding and Mobile App
Development Grant Program from NCDPI. The grants, which range from $10,000 to $40,000, support
partnerships with local businesses to help schools develop computer science, coding and mobile app
development programs for middle and high school students. Members of the Asheville Buncombe Madison
Career Pathways Consortium share a $40,000 grant.
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