Mercy High School wins female diversity award

MIDDLETOWN — Mercy High School has earned the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award from the College Board for achieving high female representation in the Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course.

Schools so honored have expanded girls’ access in AP Computer Science courses, according to a press release. Mercy High School was one of 831 schools across the country recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles for the 2019-20 school year, it said.

Middletown High School was recently named an AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award winner for the 2020-21 academic year.

This is the third consecutive year that Mercy has received the AP Computer Science Principles Award, Mercy President Alissa DeJonge, said in the release.

“We could not be more proud of our students for staking their claim as the next generation of STEM and computer science professionals,” Melissa Bullock, principal of Academics and Technology at Mercy, said in the statement. “We can’t wait to see their passion for next generation technology lead to lifelong success.”

AP Computer Science Principles is a full-year introductory college-level computing course that introduces students into the field of computer science through hands-on, project-based, collaborative learning, according to the College Board.

The course introduces students to the creative aspects of programming, abstractions, algorithms, large data sets, the internet, cybersecurity, and how computing impacts our world, according to the news release. Students develop the computational thinking skills needed to fully exploit the power of digital technology and help build a strong foundation in core programming and problem-solving.

“Providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to drive innovation, creativity, and representation,” the release said.

The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $88,240 in May 2019. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds women represent just 24 percent of the 5 million people in computing occupations, it said.