Fort Smith schools are focused on continual growth and giving students the most relevant tools to succeed. For a large portion of the student population, this means computer science coding clubs.

The Fort Smith School District was awarded a $24,800 grant from the Arkansas State Department of Education for computer science clubs.

Funding will go toward teacher training, stipends for the facilitating teachers, a partnership with Fort Smith Public Libraries and several technology tools.

“The grant proposal focused on bridging the gap between elementary and high school computer initiatives,” said Barry Owen, chief academic officer.

Samantha Hall, supervisor of professional development, said the district wants to increase enrollment in high school computer science, physics and higher level math courses. It also desires to increase the awareness of what computer science career opportunities are available in various industries and promote teacher knowledge and involvement in computer science initiatives.

To do all of this, the program wants to start clubs that focus on sparking the interest of younger students, particularly those in fifth through eighth grade.

The clubs will be open to students in grades K-8, but the curriculum is based on state standards for middle school and junior high students, Hall said. Each campus will host its own one-hour-a-week club for 12 weeks, Hall said.

Students will use tools such as Sphero Bot and Ozobot, two types of coding robots, and micro:bits, small programmable computers. The district already has 3D printers for students to utilize as well.

All clubs will be accessible online via archived live streams and resources will be available to students, parents and district personnel. Local business owners and community leaders will film videos of how computer science is applicable for their particular field that will be shown at the clubs.

“The innovative part of this is the community connection,” said Eden Buergler, professional development specialist.

Buergler and Hall said they want to see parents get involved with their students, if it just means looking at the resources online.

Teachers have already undergone training. Those who help facilitate the club will receive stipends for their involvement and there will be clubs during the summer at the various public libraries.

“There’s a lot of energy, a lot of great excitement on the teacher level,” Buergler said. “We’re thinking this is kind of starting the conversation on computer science, so we’re very excited about it.”

This community-focused program pairs well with Future School of Fort Smith’s internship program which has placed many students at local organizations for computer science work. Fort Smith School District’s clubs will now expose more students to the realm of career opportunities, initiatives and standards across the country.

Hall said the program was designed to be successful and replicable at schools across the state.

No specific days or times have been set and there is not a certain way of signing up for the program. Campuses will be able to determine how they want to handle those details on an individual basis.