Madison teens race against time at community coding competition
Had a blast working w/ these students today as part of #codeforwardmadison! Thanks to @maydmtech for organizing it! pic.twitter.com/s5Ziixqopr
— Hilary Stohs-Krause (@hilarysk) August 18, 2016
Recently, Ten Forward crew member Hilary helped out at Code Forward Madison, a one-day coding challenge where local students competed against each other - and the clock - for awesome prizes, including Beats by Dre headphones.
The challenge? Come up with a business concept and build a brochure website for that business, all in just two hours. (The students were so engrossed in their projects that the catered-in pizza went nearly untouched for more than 15 minutes.)
Mentors Alicia Pressley and Rashuana Mead (back, L to R) help Middleton High School student team Axios. (Photo by Jessica Mardi Photography)
Ten Forward's Hilary Stohs-Krause, standing, checks on the progress of teams CAN and Axios,
featuring students from McFarland High School and Middleton High School, respectively. (Photo by Jessica Mardi Photography)
Once time was up, each team presented their site and business concept to an audience of community members and tech professionals, who then voted on the winners. Businesses the students created included a bread company, an online ice cream store and a production company.
Most of the students had little previous coding experience, and what they were able to accomplish in that time was pretty amazing.
What a setting for @maydmtech Code Forward event: our Capitol! #ffbff @fwdtech @bendyworks pic.twitter.com/M24GPHkuN5
— Matt Younkle (@younkle) August 18, 2016
Code Forward Madison was hosted by Maydm, an educational nonprofit that teaches programming and technical skills to female students and students of color in Madison elementary, middle and high schools.
The winners were three sisters - Cearah, Isabella and Scarlet Egwuonwu - who created Camp Sheridan, "the best equine camp in Clearwater County, Idaho, where your child can interact with horses and others who share their passion for riding and caring for them."
Technology sisters for the win! Congrats Cearah, Isabella, Scarlet and @andreaincode pic.twitter.com/aC6HGN1Vhv
— Maydm (@maydmtech) August 18, 2016
It was wonderful to help such a diverse group of teens explore entrepreneurship and programming; their excitement was infectious, and we can't wait to see what they do next!
Check out Maydm's website for more information, and to learn how to get involved.