Last Friday, AP computer science teacher Kimberly Hermans and around 40 students participated an “Hour of Code” session to help students learn more about coding and computer programming.

The “Hour of Code” event is through Code.org, a non-profit organization whose mission is to expand “participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color,” according to the organization’s website.

“[We] hosted ‘Hour of Code’ to spread knowledge about computer science and coding in general, because a lot of people don’t know about coding,” junior Daniel Sun said.

The event used a program based on the programming language “Scratch,” which Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) classes teach. The program featured “Angry Birds” characters in order to appeal to a wide audience.

“Scratch” uses block-based programming, which involves users sticking blocks together in order to write code. With this simple interface, “Scratch” is a perfect tool for getting any student into programming, which is why it was during “Hour of Code.”

“Coding helps you think critically, and the great thing about coding is that you cannot memorize coding. It requires logic and thinking that we do not see in a lot of classes at high school,” Sun said.

With the world’s increased emphasis on technology knowledge, participating in the “Hour of Code” can prove to be a boost for any student, no matter what he or she might pursue in the future.