For the very first time, Los Altos High School will take part in Code.org’s annual Computer Science Education Week from December 9-15. That week, LAHS students, like millions of students around the world, will spend one hour during their math classes learning computer science from a selection of hour-long self-guided tutorials. Known as Hour of Code, the event which is led by a group of six computer science and math teachers, aims to introduce computer programming to a generation of students growing up in an increasingly technology-driven society. “The world is becoming more computer dependent,” Algebra I and Trigonometry teacher Jeanne Yu said. “More and more fields are going to require some understanding of computer programming in order to manage the office, create and instruct devices, manage systems, etc. Everything is becoming “smart” and a skill of the future may be to be able to…operate computer controlled devices and structures.” Throughout the week, students will watch and interact with a tutorial posted on csedweek.org by different organizations such as KhanAcademy, LightBot, and Code.org itself. Many tutorials are also sponsored by big-name companies and universities such as Stanford, MIT and Microsoft. In addition to Hour of Code, the school is also hosting a second event known as the Showcase Event. “[The Showcase Event] is going to be a bunch of choices that students can choose from, and it’s going to be based on their experience and ability level,” Yu said. “So people with no experience can choose from certain activities, and people with experience can choose from certain activities or certain projects that they need to accomplish in one hour.” Students will earn points based on the activities that they complete, which they can in turn exchange for raffle tickets. Refreshments will be provided and prizes include two Google nexus tablets and two Google play gift cards. The school invites all interested participants to attend the Showcase Event on Wednesday, December 11 from 2:45 – 4:00 p.m. in room 723.