Friday, January 17, 2025
Oceanside Middle School math teacher John Heron has secured a $23,000 grant from DonorsChoose to enhance students’ experiences in coding and problem-solving. Financed by Optimum through DonorsChoose, the grant will fund cutting-edge Lenovo Yoga laptops for Heron’s Coding Club, enabling students to participate in hackathons and hone skills vital for thriving in a tech-driven world.
The Coding Club was presented with the grant after school on Dec. 11, as seventh- and eighth-graders sat engrossed in coding projects that could help lead them to future careers as software developers, engineers or even tech entrepreneurs. The students will now have the state-of-the-art tools to fuel their creative pursuits.
Heron’s grant submission, Fast Laptops for Hackathons, was funded by Optimum through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that connects public school teachers with donors who are eager to support impactful educational initiatives. The Yoga laptops the grant will pay for will help students prepare for hackathons — intense, team-based coding competitions in which they create innovative solutions to challenging programming problems.
Heron learned about hackathons last year, when he attended one as an observer. Presented by KidOYO, a Long Island-based organization, the events challenge students to write code, create digital models and collaborate to conquer territory on a digital map. Impressed by the innovation and teamwork on display, Heron made it his mission to get his students involved.
Preparing for hackathons isn’t easy. Students in the Coding Club hone a variety of skills, including programming, digital art and teamwork. The new laptops will be game-changers.
“The previous equipment we had wasn’t up to par for hackathons,” Heron acknowledged. “These new machines are faster, have better memory, and offer touch screens that allow the kids to focus on creativity and coding without technical limitations.”
The Coding Club, launched by Heron in 2017, has evolved to the point where students now learn programming languages like Python, JavaScript and HTML, along with digital art and problem-solving skills.
“When we first started, we were just dipping our toes into HTML,” Heron said. “Now these kids are diving into complex languages, and working on projects that even I need to learn about before I can guide them. They’re not just consumers of technology — they’re creators,” he added. “Some of these kids take what they’re learning here and continue working on projects at home. They’re eager to learn, and sometimes they teach me things.”
The impact of the grant will extend beyond the middle school. The Coding Club is a cornerstone of the Oceanside School District’s broader Computer Science and Digital Community Pathway, a curriculum initiative designed to equip students with the technological skills they’ll need for 21st-century careers.
“We’ve been working for quite some time now to build the computer science and digital community pathway in the district,” Dianne Provvido, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and technology, said. “Through this pathway, kids get exposed to coding and computer science and all the good skills that come with it. Our math director, Tara Mauer, has been instrumental in designing it as we go, and we’re proud we went from maybe a class to growing a full pathway for kids who have this interest. I’m also really proud that all grade seven and grade six students get exposure to coding.”
The celebration last week brought together not only students and teachers, but also Optimum representatives including Optimum’s director of community affairs, Allison Aylward, who highlighted the cable provider’s longstanding partnership with Donors Choose, through which Optimum has committed nearly $4 million over the past four years to fund educational projects across the 21 states it serves.
“Optimum is a technology company founded on innovation,” Aylward said. “We’re thrilled to support programs like this, that prepare the next generation of programmers and engineers that will be changing technology. This is why we’re happy to support things like this, that will help them for a career in a STEM field.”
The Coding Club will gear up for its first hackathon competition, in Hauppauge on March 21. Students are tackling preliminary challenges and preparing to showcase their skills on a larger stage. The event will not only test their coding abilities but also emphasize collaboration, communication and creative problem-solving.
Thanks to Heron, the support of the district and Optimum, they are dreaming big. “When they first join, many know little beyond block coding,” Heron said. “By the time they leave, they’re mastering programming languages and building projects that astonish me. It’s rewarding to see them grow into confident, skilled coders.”
