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Why Participate in the Hackathon?
Three Hackathon “veterans” talk about their experiences at last year’s St. Luke’s Hackathon.
Meredith Macey ’20
As soon as I heard about the Hackathon in a town meeting, I looked at my friend and said, “We have to do that!” A group of us brainstormed about our project when we got there, and we actually won the Middle School prize. It was such a cool bonding experience with my friends. Before the Hackathon, I was focused on art and photography and never pictured myself as someone who would like coding, and now I do. I still like the arts but am so glad I created this new interest, and it’s all because of my experience at last year’s Hackathon.
Marco Volpitta ‘20
I had taken a coding class outside of St. Luke’s and really liked it and thought I’d give the Hackathon a try. The best part of the weekend was the first night. Everyone was awake the entire night, and that was really fun. A favorite memory was the first time our hack program recognized a face correctly. I’m definitely going to the next Hackathon.
Bilal Memon ‘18
I had been interested in making things during the school year, but I didn’t have the chance to focus on a project. When I heard about the Hackathon, I thought it was a good opportunity to make something with my hands in a non-academic context. I really enjoyed the freedom to make whatever you wanted to create. The fact that it was an intense 48 hours where you could see the fruits of your labors was a really awesome experience. It was great watching my program work for the first time (I made a reddit bot and started to create an app too). Even if you’re not a science or math person or don’t have any engineering or programming skills, I would still recommend it. There are so many things you can make using any medium like wood or metal or maybe even using other subjects like the arts.
To register or find out more about the Center for Leadership’s and designLab’s January 15-17, 2016 Hackathon, visit the St. Luke’s Hackathon webpage. There are also designLab Open Maker Nights (Wednesdays 4:00-7:00pm) leading up the Hackathon for anyone who wants to get familiar with coding beforehand or get a head start on their hack.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
