Boulder Country Day School to host tech camps

Boulder Country Day School (BCD) will be offering two sessions of girls’ technology courses called Girls Who Code this coming summer. The summer camp program is being called Campus. Girls Who Code is a national program designed to increase the low number of females in the field of computer science.

Less than one in four computer scientists are women, with that ratio decreasing over time. Campus will be offering 1,000 middle and high school girls introductory computer science and website design and development programs in six cities, including BCD’s camp.

Each session is based on an award-winning curriculum developed by the Girls Who Code program and will take place over a 10 day course in BCD’s newly remodeled innovation lab. BCD teaches science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) focused material in preschool through eighth grade.

BCD is one of three Colorado schools (and the only one in Boulder County) to be offering this curriculum.

There are 18 spots in each two-week Monday through Friday session. The first session is an introduction to computer science for girls between the ages of 10 and 14, and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 4 to June 15.

The second session covers website design and development for girls ages 13 to 18. It runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 18 to June 29.

“Boulder Country Day School is rooted in a commitment to creativity, innovation, diversity, equity, and inclusivity, and thus very proud to be one of the few select schools and universities that will host the Campus program this summer,” Gabrielle Hernan, BCD director of technology said.

“As a female and LGBT technology director, even in a city as forward-thinking and innovative as Boulder, I am reminded all too often that there are still plenty of barriers to be broken and equity to be gained for women working in the tech fields.’ Hernan said. “ I strive to be a role model for girls at our school who are interested in innovation and technology, and by creating partnerships with organizations such as I Have A Dream and supporting programs like Girls Who Code, I know we are actively and effectively working to empower the next generation of female technologists.”

As part of its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Girls Who Code has set aside 20 percent of its seats for need-based scholarships. For additional information visit www.BoulderCountryDay.org or call 303-527-4931.