News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The White County School System is introducing more after school computer science programs starting next fall.
Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said the goal is to prepare students for a successful career in the post secondary education world.
“Basically, we are going to be doing after school activities to expand student’s interest in computer science,” Dronebarger said. “So, we’ll be doing different STEM activities. There will be things going on at the high school, and we’ll also be dipping down to our middle school and get kids involved and try to lead them through the computer science pathway.”
White County is one of five districts splitting $2.9 million of grant funding from Tennessee’s Expansion of Computer Science Careers to make this possible. Dronebarger said the money will be distributed over a five-year span.
Dronebarger said activities will compliment already established coding and robotic classes.
“It’s going to be going to some of the instructors providing those services,” Dronebarger said. “They are going to equipment and field trips and things like that they are going to take. So a lot of different things as we are just now starting the budget process.”
Dronebarger said introducing young students to computer science in a technology driven world is a vital part of today’s education.
“There is a lot of different avenues that you can go into with computer science and certainly STEM activities,” Dronebarger said. “Just being able to introduce students to those pathways at an early age is vital right now.”
Tennessee districts were eligible to apply to participate in the Pathways Project if they met two criteria of the federal grant: be in a rural community and offer out-of-school programs through the 21st Century Learning Center federal program.
