(above, l-r) The Hackathon concluded with an assembly dedicated to hearing and judging presentations of 11 different demonstrations of how computer science skills could be used to solve problems. 2020 HillsHacks Student Organizers Jagdeep Bhatia, left, and Mayur Sharma, right, congratulated Second Place, presentation titled, “Disquinetext,” by participant Alec Doyle, a Junior at Ridge High School, Bernards Township; First Place, “Anticrastinate,” presented by two WHRHS Juniors, Sanjay Kethineni of Green Brook Township, and Frank Liu of Warren Township; and Third Place, “Door Security,” presented by a trio of 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders. They are: Charan Alampally, 6th grade at Grades 6-8 William Annin Middle School, Bernards Township; Rohin Kudeti, 5th grade at grades K-5 Chattick Elementary School, East Brunswick Township; and Krishna Singh, 4th grade, at grades K-5 Mount Horeb School, Warren Township.
HillsHacks Hackathon
47 Computer Science students of all ages attracted to 2020 WHRHS HillsHacks
Submitted by Denis Kelly
Forty-seven students, some as young as 4th grade, and some from as far away as East Brunswick Township and Middlesex Borough in Middlesex County, and Bethlehem Township in Hunterdon County, participated in the 2020 HillsHacks hackathon on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at Watchung Hills Regional High School (WHRHS).
Coordinating the event for the second year were WHRHS Seniors Jagdeep Bhatia and Mayur Sharma. These WHRHS Computer Science (CS) leaders were assisted by a cadre of WHRHS CS students, who greeted and registered participants. They also assisted in directing participants to classrooms for workshop sessions and to the South Auditorium and Atrium for speaking programs and lunch and dinner breaks.
These and other WHRHS CS students acted as leaders in the session workshops, themselves. They shared with participants their expertise in various computer science languages. They showed participants where to find pertinent web sites on the internet to delve into various subjects, from Artificial Intelligence, introduction to Java, and video game design to Music in Coding, to name just a few.
They also sponsored CS discussions about the very real need to attract more and more girls and women into Computer Science. Of particular interest is tackling the notion of helping girls navigate through their middle school years when many girls feel the social pressure that embracing CS will label them as “nerdy” and “very uncool” in their peer groups.
The WHRHS CS students also shared helpful hints they have found about how to employ resources found on the Internet and how to broaden their ability to use computer tools to tackle and solve more problems both now and in the future.
Faculty and volunteers supporting the 2020 HillsHacks hackathon were: Supervisor of Mathematics and Business Dan Twisler; Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mary Ellen Phelan; and community volunteer and former teacher of the Gifted and Talented Program at Watchung Public Schools, Elaine Chesebro.
There was also a panel of speakers who started the day sharing their expertise and their personal stories about how they got into computer science, how they have learned and practiced the use of various computer science languages, and how they became more comfortable at mastering and using new computer science skills. The speakers included Mathematics and Business Supervisor Twisler, WHRHS Computer Science Teacher Daniel Lamson, and 2012 WHRHS graduate Matthew Carbone, who is a graduate of the University of Rochester. Also on the panel was 2018 WHRHS graduate Jared Pincus, who has completed his second year as a CS student at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken. WHRHS Senior and co-organizer of this year’s Hills Hackathon, Mayur Sharma, sat in on the speaker’s panel, sharing what he has already learned.
Photos by WHRHS
(above, l-r) WHRHS CS students at the HillsHacks, Sophomore Mariam Contractor of Watchung, Freshman Ronald Leung, and Sophomore Arjun Singh of Warren Township.
(above) At the 2020 HillsHacks, WHRHS CS students also shared helpful hints they have found about how to employ resources found on the internet and how to broaden their ability to use computer tools to tackle and solve more problems both now and in the future. In one workshop, Sophomore Arjun Singh captured the attention of HillsHacks participants.
(above) The WHRHS 2020 HillsHacks was kicked off by a panel of speakers at different levels of professional and academic expertise in Computer Science. Seated: WHRHS Computer Science Teacher Daniel Lamson; 2018 WHRHS graduate Jared Pincus, who has completed his second year at a CS student at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken; 2012 WHRHS graduate Matthew Carbone, now an advanced doctoral candidate at Columbia University; HillsHacks Student Coordinator, WHRHS Senior Mayur Sharma; and WHRHS Mathematics and Business Supervisor Dan Twisler; standing: HillsHacks Student Coordinator, WHRHS Senior Jagdeep Bhatia.
