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SEL visits Potlatch Elementary to stage third annual Hour of Code, which is actually much longer than an hour

Potlatch Elementary School has found a way to rev up learning by introducing its students to the fundamentals of technology.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) visited the school to hold its third annual daylong Hour of Code. Students from grades 1-6 created their own animations and mini-games in a program designed to teach computer coding basics.

The event was spearheaded by Principal Jill Diamond, who said she’s always trying to find new ways to broaden kids’ horizons.

“Our job as an elementary school, or educators, is to make sure (students) have an introduction to a lot of different avenues,” Diamond said. “We try to build these pathways so they can think about their passions and things they want to explore as they get older.”

Diamond said the school has many opportunities for kids to explore different interests, but she’d always had a dream to bring STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to the classroom. After brainstorming with her husband Shawn Jordan, an engineering manager at SEL, they were able to bring the idea to life.

Jordan said SEL holds programs like Hour of Code on the Palouse, but it’s not to the magnitude of this school’s event. Engineers will volunteer to run the program for a few hours, but not usually a whole day. He added that Diamond has coordinated with her staff to ensure each grade level gets an hour to experiment.

Fifth grade teacher Megan Weaver said a lot of kids like video games and the event was a great opportunity for them to understand how technology works. She added that her students were able to see that games they enjoy begin with the little steps they learned in class.

“It brings a fun element to learning,” she said. “They see the origin of how their favorite things are made and can apply what they learned when they play.”

Bryce Hart, SEL volunteer, said the kids learned a good bit of problem-solving along with coding. He added they had the freedom to create whatever they wanted digitally, but learning a new skill often comes with challenges.

“The kids are able to explore kind of without consequence,” he said. “If something doesn’t work they fail fast and can move forward. They have this opportunity to try again and again without discretion.”

Emily Henderson, a classroom aid, said the students have been looking forward to the event all year. She added it engages kids to explore technology in a way that feels more like a game than a lesson.

Gwendolyn Calza-Peterson, a fifth grader, said her favorite part about the program is that she could create whatever she wanted. She added that, in some of the mini-games, she was able to pick her own music and the dances characters did.

Calza-Peterson said she’d never coded before but it was easy to learn. She said she likes using technology and thinks it’s cool she knows how computers work.

Emmalie Forde, a fifth grader, said she likes how the program has different levels so she can teach her sister how to use it. She said she likes that it’s online and she can use it to create things at home.

Owen Webberly said he really likes video games and didn’t know that he could make them. He said he wants to learn more to do it in the future.