When I started work at North Gwinnett High School a year and half ago, I was asked to teach two computer science courses: AP Computer Science and Computing in the Modern World. Budget cuts had me teaching 3 pre-engineering classes with 30 students in each. I was told that the only way to teach more computer science classes was to increase my school’s CS awareness and interest.
I started by rebuilding our school’s website with a group of students who had already taken AP computer science. I taught them to design sites using Joomla, a stable content management system. The entire school was involved in the project. The computer art teacher helped with the aesthetics of the website, and yearbook and newspaper staff used our site to post their publications online. The new website was very well received, and increased computer science visibility among our administrators.
As a next step, I created a computer science pathway. I drew up a table and a chart of the various computer science courses and their prerequisites. I created flyers and brochures with details on the courses and handed them to all administrators, counselors, parents and students. I placed brochures in the counseling and curriculum offices and at the local middle school information desks. I emailed letters home to all parents about AP Computer Science. I used the College Board’s AP Potential to help me recruit students with strong math skills.
My hard work was rewarded when the recruitment season ended. This year, 120 students have enrolled in Computing in the Modern World, 40 in Beginning Programming, and 30 in AP Computer Science. Our school currently has 3 CIMW teachers, and I teach the other computer science courses. We face the same daunting challenges we faced last year, but we certainly have made progress.
Deepa Muralidhar
North Gwinnett High School
CSTA Leader : Georgia