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Oak Creek High computer science team wins statewide coding competition; teachers highlight program growth
Summary
Oak Creek High School students won first place in the Gold Division at Marquette University's Wisconsin Dairyland coding competition; school staff described rapid growth in student participation and new course offerings.
Oak Creek High School students who won first place at the Wisconsin Dairyland coding competition were recognized by the Oak Creek‑Franklin Joint School District board May 19, and teachers used the moment to describe rapid growth in the district’s computer science program.
“Thank you for recognizing our students’ first place finish at the Wisconsin High School coding competition,” said Kathleen Barrett, one of the computer science teachers at Oak Creek High School. Barrett told the board that in 2024–25 the school had about 70 students in AP or college‑level computer science courses and 261 students in foundation‑level computer science courses, and that enrollment in computer science has grown from 136 in 2020–21 to 331 in the current school year.
Jacob Millizer, a member of the computer science department and the math department, described the competition at Marquette University on April 16: “On April 16, we took 4 teams to a statewide competition of computer science, problem solving, and storytelling, and our team of Astro, Kyle, and Josh earned first place in the Gold Division.” Millizer said the winning team earned a perfect score on a series of technical and creative problems that drew on skills developed in Oak Creek High School’s intro to computer science and video game development courses.
Students who were recognized also spoke to the board. Joshua James, a sophomore, described the competition format and how the team divided tasks; Kyle Bridal, a senior, said the event “deepened my passion for computer science and gave me more confidence in my skills.” Board members invited the team for photos and congratulated the students and their teachers.
Why it matters Teachers and administrators said the program’s growth and competition success reflect expanded course offerings and real‑world skills development; Barrett noted the district’s computer science participation rate is higher than state and national averages she cited at the meeting.
Ending note Board members encouraged the students to return and continue working with the district; the presentation also previewed planned new classes, including advanced cybersecurity.
