SAN MARCOS CISD
San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District students recently showcased computer science projects at the Hello World Computer Science and Google Demo Day hosted at the Google headquarters in Austin. Six students from Travis Elementary, De Zavala Elementary, Crockett Elementary and Hernandez Elementary were chosen to present out of more than 8,000 students in the Austin area.
Arielle Cruz, De Zavala Elementary School Gifted and Talented Specialist, said in the GT program, students engage in project based learning over the course of a year that includes the HelloWorldCs curriculum. HelloWorldCS is a comprehensive, kindergarten through 12th grade, computer science program that allows districts to build innovative programming for students at every grade level.
“After a full year of coding, problem-solving and creativity, GT teachers were invited to nominate standout student projects out of 8,000 students using HelloWorldCS across the state,” Cruz said. “We are proud to announce that students from SMCISD’s Gifted Elementary program made the cut.”
Google Demo Day is a partnership between Google and HelloWorldCS.
“The event celebrates the achievements of local students and gives them a platform to share their original coding projects with industry professionals,” Cruz said, adding that the opportunity to showcase at google sends a powerful message to the students that what they made matters, their voice and projects belong and the future of science includes them. “From VR animal rescues to representations of who they want to be in the future, our students created imaginative, purpose-driven projects that highlight both technical skill and storytelling.”
The student presenters and the GT teachers are as follows: From Crockett Elementary: Students Lillian Martinez, Zuri Reyes, Mateo Sauceda and GT Teacher David Loveless De Zavala Elementary: Student Jonah Banda and GT Teacher Arielle Cruz Hernandez Elementary: Student Andrew Reginini and GT Teacher Carol Fernandez Travis Elementary: Student Alan Soto Morales and GT Teacher Lindsay Hamby “These talented students represented SMCISD with excellence,” Cruz said. “We couldn’t be prouder of the innovation, confidence and curiosity they showcased on this incredible stage.”
Cruz said a gifted student has the potential to or does perform at a remarkably high level when compared to students of a similar age, experience and environment.
“These students often exhibit high performance in intellectual, creative or artistic areas, demonstrate exceptional leadership capacity or excel in specific academic fields,” she said.
Learn more about Hello World CS at helloworldcs. org.
Photos courtesy of Arielle Cruz
