Hutchison Earns College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
The College Board recognized Hutchison for our commitment to expanding girls' access to AP Computer Science courses, empowering students with essential coding, problem-solving, and analytical skills to pursue future opportunities in STEM fields.
Hutchison is one of a select group of schools worldwide to be recognized by the College Board for work toward equal gender representation and expansion of girls' access to AP Computer Science courses during the 2023-2024 school year.
Girls in Dr. Matt Braby’s AP Computer Science Principles class explore a range of topics, from binary numbers and how the internet works to data analysis, cybersecurity, and intellectual property. The course also introduces foundational coding aspects that are applicable in various computer programming languages.
Dr. Braby encourages students to think about computer science in their everyday lives and prepares them for future studies in the field. Research shows women are more likely to pursue computer science if they are given the opportunity to explore it in high school. Way before Hutchison girls get to upper school, faculty and staff introduce them to coding and computer science in lower school and middle school through various activities, from the Design Lab to participating in Computer Science Education Week to our 7th grade STEM Explorations class.
Our goal is to inspire our girls to pursue STEM careers and provide the resources and skills for them to break into often male-dominated industries.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women represent only 26% of the 6.5 million people employed in computer and mathematical operations. More importantly, our girls benefit from early experiences with computer science by developing resiliency and problem-solving skills.
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