Chagrin Falls Schools

December 18, 2014 by Staff Report

Rotary Student Of The Month

Chagrin Falls High School senior Matthew Kohn has been named student of the month for December by the Chagrin Valley Rotary Club.

Matthew has earned several awards during his high school career, including being named a National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction and Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce Student Business Leader of the Year.

He is vice president of the senior class and served as a Student Council representative for three years. He is the founder and president of Philosophy Club, president of Engineering Club, a four-year member of Key Club and a member of Prism. In athletics, he is a four-year member of the cross country and swim teams.

Outside of school, Matthew founded iGuy, a computer tutoring business, and developed an iPhone app for Computer Science Review. He is also a lifeguard at Chagrin Valley Recreation Center, has served an internship at SpoonDrawer Media and is a member of Technology Learning Club. He plans to study computer engineering at a four-year university.

He was invited to attend the Rotary Breakfast held on Dec. 16 in the Performing Arts Center lobby. He also will be invited to attend the third and fourth Rotary Club meetings of each month.

Hour of Code

The second annual Hour of Code Program was a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. Chagrin Falls students throughout the district participated for the second year during Computer Science Education Week, Dec. 9-15. This year, every student in the district joined millions of students from around the world in learning some of the fundamentals of coding.

The Hour of Code kicked off with a video stressing the significance of computer science, particular programming, in the modern work place. The video was followed by a presentation on the importance of coding by high school computer science teacher Carolyn Petite. Her presentation highlighted recent Chagrin Falls graduates who are working in an industry that relies on computer programming.

Students then experimented with coding using interactive lessons at code.org. For many older students, the final result was a working application that could be sent to their personal smart phone where they can see their efforts come to life. Classrooms were staffed with one student from the computer science program to help resolve any technical issues.

At the younger levels, children viewed similar videos and presentations. Students in grades K-1 used the Kodable app to practice “early coding skills” and then grades 2-3 used the code.org Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies coding games. Students used resources on the TheFoos.com to learn entry level programming concepts.

Special thanks go to all the teachers at Gurney Elementary School as well as the intermediate school, middle school and the high school who have all worked together to introduce Hour of Code to their students.

Computer science is a top-paying college degree and these types of jobs are growing at two times the national average.

“Our entire technology program at Chagrin Falls Schools has certainly been taken to a higher level this year, and our participation in Hour of Code provided further education that hopefully will spark some interest in the field of computer science within our youth,” said Superintendent Robert Hunt.

Please visit www.greattechspectations.com for videos of the student’s excitement in participating in Hour of Code.