On your mark… get set… code! On July 28th, CoderDojo Indiana (CDI), an initiative of TechPoint Foundation for Youth, hosted the second annual CoderDojo Indiana Hackathon. This free, kids coding event engaged more than 80 student “code ninjas” from around Indiana in a full day of computer science, food, and fun!
The day began with an opening ceremony led by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett at 9am. Then, experienced code ninjas chose from three exciting challenges: Scratch, Python, or GameCraft. Each ninja had 5.5 hours to earn point by programming solutions to different prompts given in each challenge - the more difficult the challenge, the more points they earned.
Meanwhile, beginner ninjas had the chance to attend #MyFirstDojo, where kids were able to try out a variety of hands-on CS activities using Makey Makey, Sphero, VEX IQ Robots, and more.
The day concluded at 4pm with awards and prizes for kids in every category. Thanks to our friends at Raspberry Pi Foundation, we were able to provide an amazing prize for our Scratch and Python Challenge Excellence winners: travel stipends to attend Coolest Projects North America in Santa Ana, California, this September. Deesha Roopesh of Carmel and Christopher Wang of Fort Wayne will both travel to this national event to represent Indiana later this year.
Want to join your local Dojo? Email myron@techpointyouth.org for information!