Harold D. Fayette students become young programmers one step at a time

Posted Friday, October 9, 2026 2:12 pm

Second graders at Harold D. Fayette School worked together to create custom directions for a coding lesson on Sept. 29.

Courtesy North Merrick Public Schools

Tiles were assembled into “codes” that students followed step-by-step.

Courtesy North Merrick Public Schools

Technology teacher Gabrielle Romano taught students basic coding vocabulary.

Courtesy North Merrick Public Schools

Pairs worked together to create a workable sequence.

Courtesy North Merrick Public Schools

The classroom was bustling with energy as students excitedly completed their code.

Courtesy North Merrick Public Schools

By Julia Gillego

Students got a taste of the intricacies of coding at Harold D. Fayette School in the North Merrick School District as they participated in a hands-on coding activity designed to introduce them to the basics of programming on Sept. 29.

Second graders were given a collection of tiles featuring directional arrows and blank tiles they could use to create their own “rules,” such as doing a dance or jumping in place. Along with “go” and “stop” tiles, students worked in pairs to arrange the tiles into a sequence, or “code,” to give a set of directions and explore how different commands work together.

The activity – also taught in second grade classrooms at Camp Avenue and Old Mill Road schools by technology teacher Gabrielle Romano – helped students develop computer science skills while seeing how simple instructions can work together to accomplish a goal.

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Harold D. Fayette students become young programmers one step at a time

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