Amador wins national award for diversity in computer science program

Amador Valley High’s computer science program and its leaders were celebrated at last week’s Pleasanton school board meeting for being one of only 639 high schools nationwide to recently earn the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award.

The school was selected to receive the award out of more than 20,000 eligible schools across the country “for their efforts in engaging more young women in computer science,” according to Pleasanton Unified School District.

There has been a 10% increase over the past three years in female students taking computer science courses at Amador, which “has nearly doubled the number of classes offered due to overall interest” including a computer science principles class where students learn about coding, robotics, virtual reality and game theory.

Sophomore Alyssa Chen, who was part of the first all-girls team from Amador to advance in the Regional Chevron Design Challenge last year, said computer science is everywhere these days and that understanding it is helpful.

“It’s interesting to see how computer science is integrated into so many fields these days … it’s very versatile and I feel that general knowledge of computer science helps,” Chen said. “It’s also interesting because you’re taking virtually nothing and you’re pulling out the knowledge that you know and creating something that can be used.”

Amador computer science teachers Richard Hanson and Kevin Kiyoi were credited by PUSD assistant superintendent Janelle Woodward for fostering “an incredible environment that helps encourage more students to explore the field of computer science.”

Together the duo has hosted all-female professional panels for the past two years to inspire students and to change the public image of what a programmer looks like and does, and also extended learning opportunities about computers to include the ACE Coding and Girls Who Code clubs on campus, which they supervise.

“I’m most inspired by the motivated, driven female students who are not letting anything stand in their path. They’re go getters,” Hanson said. “We’re lucky to live in a community with great family support and really inquisitive students. We try to put our students in situations where they’ll be successful that will touch a nerve and awaken something inside them.”

Kiyoi called the “very active” Girls Who Code club that he oversees, “a nice way for our female students to keep coding and mentoring each other and feeling like they can succeed” and a “safe and inviting environment.”

This year the group will host a day-long Girls Who Code event open to all PUSD elementary and middle school students on March 7 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The club is also currently seeking donations and partners to support their cause: https://avhsgwc.weebly.com/2020-summit.html.