Maryville University recently provided a training session in coding to 75 students and teachers in the Riverview Gardens School District
“Our students returned to the building and could not end their conversation about their day,” said Lakena Curtis, principal of Central Middle School. “They continued to share their thoughts that day and the next.”
Along with Central Middle School, Westview Middle School and Riverview Gardens High School participate in the program.
Utilizing Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum, Maryville provides student and teacher training on app development to Riverview Gardens students and teachers during the school year. This partnership also will involve free app development summer camps for up to 200 students.
Steve Coxon, associate professor and director of Maryville’s programs in gifted education, will direct the summer program.
“Coding is the language of the future,” Coxon said. “Those who can code will be well employed and will run the businesses of the 21st century.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer programmers in Missouri has an average salary of $78,830 in 2015 – more than double the overall average salary in the state of $43,640.
Dustin Loeffler, JD, associate professor at Maryville, said coding is important for all students, not only those interested in computer science.
“No matter what careers students may be interested in, coding will play an integral role in the job,” Loeffler said. “Therefore, the power of coding – to break the cycle of poverty by creating access to these future jobs – is immense.”
The partnership with Maryville creates a new level of expectation for students, said Scott Spurgeon, superintendent of Riverview Gardens, which in turn raises the expectations of teachers, administrators and the community.
“This expanded innovation and creativity allows us to break down walls of isolation,” Spurgeon says. “It creates greater opportunities for learning, experience and knowledge.”
The Maryville/Riverview Gardens is the first partnership between an Apple Distinguished School and an Apple ConnectED K-12 school. Maryville is a 2016-2018 Apple Distinguished School, a designation recognizing the university’s Digital World program. Through Digital World, all undergraduate students receive a free iPad and access to more than 75 learning and resource apps available through the Maryville Cloud.
In Riverview Gardens, the two middle schools and high school are recipients of an Apple grant through ConnectED, an initiative created by the White House. The program is designed to empower teachers and students by providing access to new technology and digital content. Through ConnectED, Apple provides an iPad to every student and teacher in participating Riverview Gardens schools, along with professional learning, wireless infrastructure upgrades and ongoing support.
Riverview Gardens will regain state accreditation on January 4, 2017. Partnerships such as the one between the secondary schools and Maryville University play a significant role in the district’s overall success, Spurgeon said.
“When I arrived in Riverview Gardens four years ago, we had very few partnerships,” he says. “Today, we partner with more than 30 organizations. It will always be important for the community to connect with children.”
