“Love of Coding” at North Boulevard Allowed PTHS Students to Share Their Love for STEM

Thursday, February 22, was an incredible experience for all PTHS students participating in the FTC Robotics Team and National Computer Honor Society. Mrs. Froehlich, the teacher at PTHS who runs both programs, decided it would be a great opportunity to have high school students spend an evening at North Boulevard Elementary School during the “Love of Coding” event with the elementary students who were signed up to attend. To Mrs. Froehlich’s surprise, “...over sixty kids were expected to arrive at the event…” which was held from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the gym. 

There were tables arranged all around the room with corresponding student volunteers running certain activities due to their skill-set, expertise, or simply fondness for the activity. Elementary students were allowed to drive the robot the Robotics Team had previously taken to its competitions, make origami boats and dogs to “test algorithms,” and stack cups in an assessment of speed and problem solving. Many of the students who volunteered at the event claimed that, “...the elementary schoolers seemed to have had a lot of fun.” PTHS students were thrilled to spend time with them while expressing their love for STEM and robotics in addition to savoring their time in the district, especially applying to the seniors who organized and took part in Love of Coding. 

With the abundance of students who attended combined with the success and gratifications expressed by parents, PTHS can expect to see similar events planned for the near future, perhaps in other fields of academics as well.