St. James, NY - December 11, 2015 - More than 125 students at Harbor Country Day School, a nonprofit independent school in St. James, joined this week’s worldwide Hour of Code computer science event. Touted as the “largest learning event in history,” the Hour of Code is a global effort to expose girls and boys to fundamental computing concepts on a level playing field, starting with the earliest learners.

Students of Harbor Country Day School learning computer science.

At Harbor Country Day, students from preschool to eighth grade worked with various tools and applications to learn the complexities of computer programming. Students in the school’s four-year-old preschool program worked with Bee-Bots, which are programmable and movable robotic bees, to learn such skills as basic sequencing, estimation and problem solving. Kindergartners through fifth graders learned the basics of computer science by programming characters in the popular video game, Minecraft, to move through simulated Minecraft worlds. Students in the upper grades of six through eight used programming logic to solve puzzles within the Lightbot programming puzzle game.

“The Hour of Code is a movement that aligns perfectly with the core mission of Harbor Country Day School: to ‘cherish childhood, cultivate wonder and inspire confident learners and leaders,’” said Harbor Country Day Head of School John Cissel. “As I observed the various classes participating in their own ‘hours of code,’ I saw students who were 100% immersed in what they were doing. From the youngest to the oldest students, they all were awe-struck by their ability to control and manipulate characters and puzzle pieces with simple commands. They were, in effect, doing what computer programmers do every day -- but in a fun, engaging, age-appropriate manner.”

Student of Harbor Country Day School immersed in learning about computer science.

"The Hour of Code is designed to demystify code and show that computer science is not rocket-science, anybody can learn the basics," said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of Code.org. "Over 100 million students worldwide have tried an Hour of Code. The demand for relevant 21st century computer science education crosses all borders and knows no boundaries."

Student of Harbor Country Day School engaged in learning computer science.

About Harbor Country Day School
Founded in 1958 by conscientious parents, Harbor Country Day School is an independent, co-educational day school for children from preschool through 8^th grade situated in St. James’ Village of Head of the Harbor. The school employs a whole-child approach to education, wherein its rigorous curriculum is supported by a broad program in its academic, athletic, advisory, and visual and performing arts departments designed to develop all aspects of each child's talents and interests. Harbor Country Day School’s summer camp program, Camp Harbor, is among the leading summer camp programs on Long Island. The school’s mission to “cherish childhood, cultivate wonder, and inspire confident learners and leaders” underscores every child’s experience at Harbor Country Day School and ensures that all of its graduates are prepared to lead fulfilling lives filled with wonder, confidence, and many successes.

Harbor Country Day School is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and is accredited by and a member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS).  It is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization under section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees.  For more information, visit www.hcdsny.org.  

About Code.org
Code.org is a 501c3 public non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Its vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer programming. After launching in 2013, Code.org organized the Hour of Code campaign – which has introduced over 100 million students to computer science to date – and partnered with 70 public school districts nationwide to expand computer science programs. Code.org is supported by philanthropic donations from corporations, foundations and generous individuals, including Microsoft, Infosys Foundation, USA, The Ballmer Family Giving, Omidyar Network and others. For more information, please visit: code.org.