<\/p>\n
If knowledge is power, a new class at Catholic High\u2014Computer Science and Programming\u2014really packs\u00a0a punch. The class itself is a result of a push from the governor of Arkansas, Mr. Asa Hutchinson. Mr.\u00a0Hutchinson said he believes that offering computer classes will change the state\u2019s economy and \u201cwill put\u00a0us on the forefront of technology education.\u201d<\/p>\n
The computer science class at Catholic High is a senior elective with 18 students currently. Mr. Matt\u00a0Dempsey, the teacher of the class, said that the goal is \u201cfor students to have a basic understanding of\u00a0computer hardware; a basic understanding of networks, databases, but most of our emphasis will be on\u00a0coding. He also said, \u201cMy hope is that these guys have a good general idea of what coding is and how to\u00a0do it.\u201d The students are currently learning to code with the language Python.<\/p>\n
Computer science means different things to different people. For some, computer science is a hobby, for\u00a0others it is a part of job, for others still it may become a larger part of their lives. But what does this class\u00a0mean to the students at Catholic High?<\/p>\n
Senior Andrew Cline thinks computer science provides \u201ca really cool way to create what you want to\u00a0make.\u201d For students thinking about majoring in computer science, like senior Nick Miller, the class offers\u00a0a way \u201cto tell whether or not I should pursue this path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another student of the class, senior Thomas Howe, wants to be a civil engineer, and computer science\u00a0gives him a chance to understand how computers might help him in the future. \u201cComputer science to me\u00a0is not just understanding how a computer works, but also how to take advantage of it such as creating\u00a0\u2026simulations of real world events,\u201d said Howe. His older brother, already a civil engineer, uses computer\u00a0science to help in his job, and Thomas believes that it will help him, too.<\/p>\n
No matter how people feel about computer science, though, it is an important and potentially lucrative\u00a0field in today\u2019s world. Mr. Todd Greer, CEO of the company Spotright, Inc., a technology company based\u00a0in Little Rock, hires people with computer science degrees at varying skill levels. He believes that\u00a0computer science is an important field and will only become more important for technology companies\u00a0like Spotright. He also said, \u201cThere is a definite shortage of qualified job candidates in the Arkansas\u00a0computer science market.\u201d With so many possibilities, the new computer science class provides a\u00a0powerful elective choice and opportunities for the future of our students and our state. \u201cAs computers become more universal, it is only going to be beneficial to have an understanding of how they work,\u201d said\u00a0Mr. Dempsey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Seniors Benjamin Paladino and Andrew Cline Contributed to this article.<\/p>\n
If knowledge is power, a new class at Catholic High\u2014Computer Science and Programming\u2014really packs\u00a0a punch. The class itself is a result of a push from the governor of Arkansas, Mr. Asa Hutchinson. Mr.\u00a0Hutchinson said he believes that offering computer classes will change the state\u2019s economy and \u201cwill put\u00a0us on the forefront of technology education.\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":7507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[194,196,1],"tags":[224,225,184,143],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/liftoffnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/DSC_1036-copy-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C678&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xfZw-1Wt","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7469"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7469"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7515,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7469\/revisions\/7515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}