Our IdeaSpark Coding Clubs have become a family tradition for the four students in the Perry family. Bold Idea has become an essential aspect of their education – one they are able to receive thanks to our financial aid and laptop donation programs. They each shared why they enjoy what they are learning in Bold Idea, as well as how it will help them pursue their future goals.
Christian Perry, a 10th grader in our Kepler Coding Club, has been coding for about six years, but joined Bold Idea in the summer of 2022. Bold Idea gives him the opportunity to work on developing his coding skills in a challenging yet low-risk environment. He loves that he can work independently and ask specific questions to his mentors if he gets stuck or doesn't understand one of the concepts. He has a fairly strong foundation in coding, and he is building upon those foundational skills as he learns new skills. He is currently in the engineering pathway at his high school, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in it.
Solomon Perry, a 7th grader in Perseverance Coding Club, began coding in Bold Idea’s summer Coding Camps in 2022. He says, "I really enjoy coding. My favorite parts are creating things true or false and making things connect." Since joining Bold Idea’s programs, he has learned how to make and use functions, load images, and make icons react on screen to keyboard controls. His current creative project is a program with a spaceship, including upgrades, powerups, and asteroids. Bold Idea has inspired his entrepreneurial spirit; Solomon is in the process of starting his own business, using the skills he has learned so far to build a website for his startup.
Jaxon Perry, a 5th grader in Voyager Coding Club, also began coding in Bold Idea’s summer coding camps this year. He said, "Coding is really interesting and engaging. I like to work in small groups or one on one with the mentors. I'm creating a city with a bear on the loose. My program will guide the bear through the city back to safety!” As a young coder, he hopes to inspire his peers, saying, “I think other kids should explore coding to see if they will like it. I think they will like it, and they will learn new skills too."
The youngest of the Perry siblings, Emerson, a 3rd grader in Voyager Coding Club, has followed in her brothers’ footsteps this Fall. She said, "Coding is so much fun!" Her favorite project is called "It's Alive." She enjoyed the project because she got to create characters and bring them to life. She has enjoyed learning how to apply time limits in her code to control the speed of different actions-to make them speed up or go slowly. Emerson has really taken to coding, having watched her three older brothers participate in Bold Idea’s programs. Now that she has become a young coder, she is giving 100% of her effort to her projects.
We cannot wait to see what the future holds for Christian, Solomon, Jaxon, and Emerson!