STEAMing Ahead

By Erin St. John Kelly, Former Communications Director

Beyond scholarship, fostering confidence and leadership are among the loftiest and most venerable of girls’ schools’ missions. A modern manifestation of this is to build girls’ interests, knowledge, and skills in male-dominated STEM fields and help change the prevalent gender gap in STEM careers.

“Girls’ participation in STEM is really important because it allows for different perspectives to help solve difficult problems,” said Peyton Wagner ’21. A current Advanced Placement Computer Science A student, Peyton plans to study computer science in college with the goal of becoming a software developer. Mission accomplished.

The evolution of engaging girls in computer science at Buffalo Seminary (SEM) has come a long way from a summer camp for middle schoolers, which was taught decades ago on a bright pink row of Barbie™ brand computers, to now offering high school AP Computer Science classes that use terminals installed for virtual reality programming. Along the way, we created a Mac lab to teach digital art, photography, and video; acquired a 3-D printer and three NAO robots; held annual 9th Grade STEAM awards; and formed a computer science club.

“I think everyone should be bilingual as far as computers go,” explained Beth Adamczyk, SEM’s 67-year-old, always learning Director of Technology who has been moving the school’s computer science offerings and classroom tech integration forward since she arrived in 2003. “I couldn’t imagine organizing my thoughts without a computer.”

That’s exactly the value of engaging girls in computer science—they’re learning skills for life. From tech and computer science classes, students learn and hone the tools to bring their own ideas to fruition through apps, games, and websites, and ultimately, to find careers.

Building a robust, integrated computer science program was no small feat. Before launching SEM’s 1:1 laptop program, it took convincing the board of trustees that the girls weren’t going to just be “playing games” on their computers.

Fast forward to 2013 and the first national Hour of Code, which became a turning point for computer science teaching at SEM. “The entire school stopped and played with code for an hour,” Beth said. “They were absolutely quiet. It was unbelievable.” The Hour

“I HOPE THEY ARE ABLE TO SEE THAT COMPUTER SCIENCE IS FOR EVERYONE.”

of Code occurred during the first trimester of the school year, so Beth instantly decided to schedule a 9th Grade coding class for later in the year.

Since 2014, coding and engineering have been staples of the 9th Grade curriculum. Beth identifies in those introductory classes students who may enjoy and benefit from advanced computer science classes and tech electives. Personally advising and encouraging girls throughout their years at school is vital. “Introduce them to computer science and then keep your hand in,” advised Beth.

The strategy today to engage girls in computer science has grown exponentially and employs a multipronged approach. Girls’ schools are offering classes in niche subject areas such as basic game design, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and tech entrepreneurship. These courses have real-life, applicable uses. Students also come out of them with portfolio pieces for their college applications, whether or not they are planning to continue pursuing computer science.

“It means a lot to be able to inspire the next generation to pursue this field,” said Janelle Harb, a 24-year-old brand new teacher and member of SEM’s computer science faculty. With a freshly minted double degree in computer science and digital media arts with a concentration in video game design, and an MBA, Janelle is a perfect role model for her students. “I’m honored to play a part in their story and show them what is possible,” continued Harb. “As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I hope they are able to see that computer science is for everyone. They are all so passionate and I’m confident they’re going to change the world.”

Meanwhile, girls’ schools keep driving the conversation forward by identifying the next

Sydney Adams ‘18 programs one of SEM’s NAO robots to strike a pose.

challenges and opportunities for girls’ computer science education.

Remember those school issued laptops that weren’t to be used for “playing games”? Well, eSports—competitive, organized video gaming—is considered the world’s fastest-growing sport and one of the first that is truly global. Over 100 U.S. colleges have varsity eSports programs with more starting up each year. Girls’ schools are also starting to form eSports teams. eSports have been found to provide many of the same benefits associated with traditional sports, such as improving confidence, developing teamwork skills, and building relationships between teammates—interactions that students are craving right now. They’re also a natural fit for a pandemic world as digital sports are COVID-safe. SEM’s team was launched in January and is co-coached by Janelle and alumna Sarah Hamdan ’18, a competitive gamer who now studies chemical engineering.

After dedicating twenty-plus years to building a computer science program, Head of School Helen L. Marlette received the news that SEM had been awarded an AP Computer Science A Female Diversity Award from the College Board for the 20192020 school year. It’s a welcome accolade for SEM’s all-women tech team and computer science faculty, and of course for the girls who take the class. The award energizes the entire school community as we continue to inspire girls to explore computer science.

This article was previously published on the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools’ website.