Wheeler Student Teams With Mt. Bethel Christian for Class Project

Thanks to Barbara Voss at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy for sending along word about a public-private partnership of sorts involving the parochial school and a Wheeler High School student: 

Daniell Yancey, a senior at the Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Math and Technology at Wheeler High School and a Mt. Bethel Christian Academy (MBCA) graduate, has chosen MBCA as his partner for his senior project. 

Yancey is developing a computer programming curriculum to teach middle school students how to create computer code. With Lisa McCrary, an MBCA 7th grade science teacher, as his mentor, Yancey has worked for three and a half months to prepare the project. He is presenting it on November 21 to a panel of teachers and judges at Wheeler’s Magnet School.

“My goal is to create a curriculum that will allow younger students to learn about computer science,” said Yancey. “Starting with Scratch (elementary programming) and working into Lego Mindstorms and Codecademy, the students will learn coding skills that they will be able to apply to future computer science classes. “I wish more schools offered computer science classes to younger students. I could have learned about coding years ago and began applying my knowledge. This is an essential skill,” continued Yancey.

Lisa McCrary has worked with Yancey for three months to develop the curriculum for the project. “Daniell has worked diligently to establish objectives, goals and lesson plans that are pertinent to middle school students.

Computers are prevalent in every aspect of our society and Daniell would like to see younger students more engaged in computer science. He has developed an eight week course that meets four hours a week with the goal of having middle school students fluent in coding,” continued McCrary.

According to McCrary, MBCA’s middle school science classes incorporate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in the curriculum. In middle school, the students study rocket design and construction, work on Rube Goldberg projects, have dedicated STEM days, and they incorporate technology with programs such as Google SketchUp. 

As reported in an April 22, 2012 Washington Post article titled “Growing Roots for more STEM,” “Many companies see middle school as a turning point, the last chance to interest students in math, science and technology before they opt to focus on other subjects.” 

“We understand the importance of inquiry based science labs, problem solving activities and the importance of linking science with technology,” said McCrary. “It has been exciting working with Daniell to develop a curriculum that can address computer science in the classroom,” continued McCrary.