Every year, the first week of December is Computer Science Education Week, an annual call to action to celebrate all the contributions to the field of computer science and to inspire K-12 students to learn more about the field. The Ed Fund was proud to work with two of our Circle the Schools corporate partners, Salesforce and AppDynamics, to host special events last week that taught students about computer science. Students interested in computer science will have many job opportunities in the field since overall employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 14.6% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations (5.3%); this increase is expected to result in about 682,800 new jobs over the next decade.
AppDynamics employees hosted an Hour of Code event for students from Cleveland Elementary. The Hour of Code started with an introduction to computer science designed to demystify “code”, show that anybody can learn the basics, and broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide movement to celebrate the field, starting with simple 1-hour coding activities and expanding to all sorts of community efforts. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide. Hour of Code is available year-round, but thousands of events are hosted around the world during Computer Science Education Week.
Salesforce hosted Bay Area middle schoolers in partnership with the SF Ed Fund and Oakland Public Education Fund to learn about careers in STEM. Over 60 students from Claremont Middle School (OUSD) and Denman Middle School (SFUSD) went to the Salesforce Tower for an exciting day of computer science-focused events in an iconic SF building that many had not before had a chance to visit. Students participated in a trail guide session, a STEM career panel, a personal brand workshop, and a pathways to Salesforce panel. Around 20 volunteers participated throughout the day in the various workshops.
Bernise, a sixth-grade participant, said, “The visit to Salesforce was very educational and I am more excited for computer science.” Marleen Olmos, one of the Salesforce organizers, said she was so thankful for the opportunity to host events in-person again and was amazed by the questions the students were asking.
Thank you to our incredible Circle the Schools partners for hosting these events. If you’d like to learn more about Circle the Schools and how your company can get involved, please visit our website.
