Kent Place Hackathon 2020
This year, Kent Place School--an all-girls school that seeks to help young women grow into future leaders--will be hosting its first Hackathon on Saturday, April 18th, 2020. The goal of this Hackathon is to inspire students of all gender identities, especially girls, to let their creativity loose, work collaboratively, enhance their programming skills, and experience firsthand that they are capable of developing a meaningful project in the span of just one day.
What is a Hackathon?
Despite what its name implies, a Hackathon doesn’t involve computer hacking; rather, it focuses on participants’ “hacking,” or development, of an idea. The goal of a Hackathon is to help participants kickstart their ideas and encourage them to explore their own potential in the field of computer science.
During Hackathons, various students interested in Computer Science unite to actualize projects individually or as a team. At the end of the daylong event, their creations are evaluated by a panel of judges.
While the main focus of a Hackathon is the cultivation of an idea, many also offer opportunities for participants to attend workshops on topics in programming throughout the day.
Who Can Participate in this Hackathon?
All New Jersey high school students (9th-12th grade) are welcome to attend this Hackathon!
Why Us?
What do Google, Amazon, and Microsoft all have in common? Not only do they dominate the tech industry, but they are also all male-owned. Only 20% of employees in the field of computer science identify as female; our goal is to take a step towards closing that gap. As the premier Hackathon hosted by an all-girls institution in New Jersey, we hope to encourage all students interested in programming--particularly young women--to put their computer science skills towards an idea they are passionate about. Doing so could serve as a catalyst that inspires them to further pursue computer science, whether it be through small projects or as a career.
Why We Need Your Support
In order to reach students from a diverse range of backgrounds, we have chosen to make Hackathon admission free, so we especially need your support to maximize the event’s potential. We hope to make the Hackathon an inspiring experience for all attendees. With your support, we can afford the necessary budget to reach our goal of sparking a new generation’s interest in computer science.
How You Can Support Us
Even if you are not able to contribute monetarily, we still accept and greatly appreciate any support. We are looking for are people to lead workshops, cater food, supply prizes, and more. If you have any questions or are interested in supporting us in any way, email us at hackathon@kentplace.org.