Hale Kula Elementary School to Mark 'Hour of Code'

On Dec. 13, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi will participate in Hale Kula’s “Hour of Code” event, which will include the presentation of a $10,000 check by Code.org and a brief session on computer programming with Hale Kula students.

News Release from Hawaii DoE December 9, 2013

​​​​HONOLULU – A commitment toward introducing computer programming to students has garnered a financial award for Hale Kula Elementary. The central district school is the only school in the state that will receive a $10,000 technology donation from the nonprofit Code.org during Computer Science Week, December 9-15.

Code.org is the national organization behind "The Hour of Code," a global event designed to boost public awareness about the industry of computer programming and coding. The event, which encourages people worldwide to engage in computer programming, is being held in 163 countries with more than 3 million students participating. Coding has been identified as a 21st century skill coveted by all industries.

“We want to be sure that our students receive the knowledge, skills and strategies to help them succeed in this technological world,”said Hale Kula Elementary Principal Jan Iwase. “This award will help us introduce students to the world of computer programming.”

On Dec. 13, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi will participate in Hale Kula’s “Hour of Code”event, which will include the presentation of the $10,000 check by Code.org and a brief session on computer programming with Hale Kula students.

All of Hale Kula's teachers and its student body have signed up to participate in learning to code. Located on the U.S. Army’s Schofield Barracks, 99 percent of Hale Kula’s 900 students are military dependents. The school is on the third and final year of a Department of Defense Educational Activity grant to implement a one-to-one blended learning pilot program for fourth- and fifth-grade students who virtually access their curriculum for half of the school week.

Computer-programming jobs are growing three times faster than the rate students are entering the field. While computer coding is not taught in most U.S. schools, other countries are offering computer programming and/or coding in their schools.

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Learn more about The Hour of Code at Code.org​.

The Hawaii State Department of Education is the ninth largest U.S. school district and the only statewide educational system in the country. It is comprised of 288 schools and serves more than 185,000 students. Hawaii’s public school system was established in 1840 by King Kamehameha III. To learn more, visit HawaiiPublicSchools.org.