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Morris High student presents 'Code for Me' camps and app, urges district to support high‑performance devices for advanced coding
Summary
Sophomore Harper Sinstra told the RSU 1 board she runs local coding camps and a curriculum project (Code for Me), is building a self‑paced coding app and asked the district to consider a small pool of higher‑performance laptops for students pursuing advanced programming.
Harper Sinstra, a Morris High School sophomore and founder of the student initiative Code for Me, told the RSU 1 school board on June 16 that her group runs multi‑day coding camps, produces instructor handbooks and is developing a self‑paced app aimed at classroom integration.
Sinstra described three planned camps (Intro to Python, Advanced Python and Intro to HTML), a printed and online textbook she authored for teachers, and a website that hosts curricula and newsletters. She said Code for Me offers scholarships to ensure accessibility and that teachers with no coding background can use her materials to teach basic programming.
She asked the district to consider reserving a small set of higher‑performance laptops (for example, MacBooks or similar) in designated locations so students who pursue advanced languages such as SQL can access hardware capable of handling larger processing and file requirements. Sinstra said Chromebooks currently provided by the district can struggle with those workloads and that she has had to secure her own device to work on more advanced projects.
Board members praised the work and asked about camp logistics. Sinstra said the Intro to Python camp runs five days for two hours per day and that presentation days help students build confidence. Members also asked about the role a student advisor might play in district technology decisions; Sinstra said she would welcome an official student‑advisor role to provide a students’ perspective on technology purchases and deployment.
District staff said they will work with teachers and principals to consider how limited high‑performance machines could be made available for career‑track students while balancing equity and broader device policies. No formal vote or commitment of funds was taken at the meeting.
Sinstra emphasized policy considerations around AI and coding instruction, saying AI can be a useful debugging tool but should be used only after students know how to code so they do not lose foundational learning. Her presentation concluded with an offer to work with staff on curricular integration and PD opportunities.
