The first week of December was Computer Science in Education Week, and many of the Parkland schools participated in the Hour of Code, the nation’s largest learning event in history.

Throughout the week at Fogelsville Elementary, students could log on to code.org to participate in coding activities.

On one special day Dec. 8, students in kindergarten through fourth grade came together to share with the community their continuously evolving technological skills.

Bearing signs “Keep Calm and Code On,” students, guests, Upper Macungie Township Police Officer William Rohrbach, and even school mascot, Foxford, came together for an hour of fun.

The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching more than 100 million students in over 180 countries, reports the initiative’s website hourofcode.com.

In addition to the in-school activities, more than 250 young Fogelsville learners attended special after-school events.

Under the guidance of Fogelsville Elementary Media Specialist Samantha Edwards, the school developed makerspace, and groups of centers designed to engage young minds in all aspects of STEAM.

STEAM,org states the previously known acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) has been morphing onto STEAM, the “A” includes the emerging fields of art and design.

All of these educational disciplines provide students a solid footing in technological education.

Fogelsville’s makerspace is filled with iPads, laptops, age-appropriate robotics and even a new 3-D printer.

Rather than just show the students how the newly acquired 3-D printer works, Edwards has challenged her students to be creative by pitching an idea and creating the program for the 3-dimentional project they want to produce.

“My students are able to propose to me an idea,” Edwards said. “They spend hours of their own time at home preparing a proposal and program for their 3-D idea.

“If I approve the proposal, they see their idea produced.”

There is something for every age level in makerspace, first piloted in the district at Fogelsville last year.

According to Nicole Mehta McGalla, director of Community Relations and Development for the Parkland School District, “Makerspace was a huge success and was showcased around the district.”

“This year, with funds from the Parkland Education Foundation, we were able to expand the program to the other seven Parkland elementary schools.”

“The students are super excited to code,” Edwards said, whose students will soon compete in a worldwide competition, Wonder League Robotics.

Comprised of mostly fifth graders and a few fourth graders, there are three teams competing this year in the competition, which uses the Dash & Dot coding robot.

“Last year we had one team and they came in seventh out of about 1,250 teams,” Edwards said.

“This year, we have three teams and the number of teams in the competition has grown to 5,000.

“For the Wonder League Robotics competition, I film the students executing their problem solving programs.”

She then uploads the video to the competition’s website, and the judging begins.

“Computer science is changing every industry,” McGalla said.

“The basics of computer science also helps nurture creativity and problem-solving skills, and prepare students for any future career.”

There are more than 500,000 computing jobs open nationwide, and according to statistics from code.org, there are currently 17,323 computer science jobs in Pennsylvania alone, but only 2,820 recent Pennsylvania computer science graduates.

“I love figuring out the steps for my character,” Alaliana Harris, a fourth-grader said smiling as her character achieved her task after several efforts. “I learn from every mistake.”