Chancellor Carranza Announces Winners of Computer Science for All Hack League

NEW YORK – Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced the winners of the Computer Science for All Hack League final in Council Chambers at City Hall. 28 teams, consisting of approximately 130 students, spent Wednesday building their projects and presenting to a panel of guest judges and New York City Council Members. The winning teams came from the following schools.

Middle School

1st Place: The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria, Queens

2nd Place: Marsh Avenue School for Expeditionary Learning, Staten Island

3rd Place: Parkside Preparatory Academy, Brooklyn

High School

1st Place: International High School at Lafayette, Brooklyn

2nd Place: Manhattan Bridges High School, Manhattan

3rd Place: Millennium Art Academy, Bronx

Students from all district middle and high schools were invited to participate in this year’s Hack League, a program that is part of the Computer Science for All initiative and in partnership with BetaNYC, through which students use computer science concepts and open data from their school neighborhoods to solve problems impacting their communities. Approximately 1,700 students across all five boroughs participated in the league. In order to make it to the final, teams had to win their school-based competition, followed by a borough-wide competition.

 

“Our democracy needs young people to raise their voices and the CS4All Hack League gives them the opportunity to take the computer science concepts they’ve learned in school and solve real problems in their communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This is our vision of equity and excellence in action, and I know these students are learning the skills and putting forward the ideas that will drive them and our City forward. Congratulations to our Hack League winners!”

“The Computer Science for All Hack League gives our students a meaningful and fun way to apply computer science skills to issues that matter in their communities,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “The competition is a creative way to drum up excitement for STEM while increasing equity in computer science learning and civic engagement. Thank you to the families, principals, teachers, City Council, and partner organizations who made the Hack League a reality, and congratulations to our student participants.”

“The Hack League is an excellent way for CS4All students to apply their CS knowledge and imagination to address real issues in our communities,” said Fred Wilson, Founder of the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education (CSNYC). “It was great to see such a diverse group of hard-working, creative and energetic students. They represent a bright future for New York City’s next generation of tech employees. Events like these showcase the results of a successful private-public partnership like CS4All.”

Through Computer Science for All – part of Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda – the City will provide computer science education in every elementary, middle, and high school by 2025.

Progress under the Computer Science for All initiative includes:

• As of the 2018-19 school year, approximately 1,600 teachers have started Computer Science for All training to bring back to approximately 700 elementary, middle and high schools.
• The number of students taking an AP Computer Science exam in 2018 rose to 5,190, a more than fourfold increase from 1,137 students in 2016.
• The number of Black and Hispanic students taking AP Computer Science exams has increased by 55 percent and 46 percent respectively since 2017. New York City Black and Hispanic students represent 13 percent and 6 percent of the Black and Hispanic AP Computer Science Principles test takers nationwide.
• Approximately 134,000 total students received Computer Science education in 2017-18, a record high, up from 93,000 in 2016-17. The 44 percent increase in students participating in CS education is driven by specific Computer Science for All training and investments, as well as schools launching and expanding their own CS programming aligned to the initiative. 
• As part of Computer Science for All, the City has created a CS4All Blueprint to help educators and school communities integrate computer science into classrooms.

Finalists in the Hack League included projects, apps and games designed to advocate for environmental sustainability and trash reduction, to solve the deer epidemic on Staten Island, and to reduce obesity and help people eat better and stay fit in New York City.

“Partnering with the CS4All Initiative at the DOE has been an amazing opportunity to unleash the potential of open data for public good,” said Noel Hidalgo, Executive Director of Beta NYC. “We’re proud to have trained over 100 teachers who engaged over 1,700 students in this year’s Hack League where they used open data to help their communities. CS4All’s Comprehensive Blueprint for a meaningful computer science education includes citizenship as one of its end goals. Hack League and today’s event shows just what the combination of those two can produce. Inviting the young civic tech leaders of tomorrow into City Hall is paving the way for 21st century civic participation. Thank you Speaker Johnson, Council Member Peter Koo, and Council Member Mark Treyger for hosting us at City Hall. We hope the students will come back to City Hall in many different roles in the years to come.”

“The City Council was proud to host the Computer Science for All Hack League and I congratulate each and every student who participated Wednesday,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “It’s important to encourage New York City students to be civically engaged and to explore 21st century subjects like computer science, and I thank the DOE and BetaNYC for putting together an event that does both so effectively. The students involved in this event together represent the incredible diversity of our city and are an inspiration to me and to this entire Council.”

“Tech is a burgeoning industry on Staten Island, so I am glad to see the Staten Island middle schools and high schools that are involved with Computer Science for All,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo. “This is a very important step for our Borough’s schools that will ensure our students are prepared and educated for the future of our workforce.”

“Congratulations to all to the participants in this year’s Computer Science for All Hack League, especially to those from the five Queens schools that were finalists in the competition,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “The competition was an amazing opportunity for students to apply the skills they learned in the classroom to real world issues that one day may be solved through the application of computer science and technology. “

"STEM education connects our students to many of the most in-demand career opportunities of today and tomorrow, and the Hack League is a great way to get students thinking critically and creatively, skills that come in handy in any field of work,” said Council Member Mark Treyger, Chair of the Committee on Education.“Congratulations to all of the students who participated, and thank you to Chancellor Carranza and all the parents, educators and partners who made this possible."

“Our Computer Science Hack League is an amazing opportunity to inspire and cultivate the local tech talent of NYC’s kids by challenging them to use open data to solve every day civic problems,” said Council Member Peter Koo, Chair of the Committee on Technology. “As Chair of the Council Committee on Technology, I was proud to bring this Hack League to City Hall so that we may continue to provide new and exciting opportunities for our young people to expand their computer science education.”

"What a great way for students to advance their STEM education and at the same time invent solutions to real-world issues right here in New York,” said State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “I commend the DOE and all the organizations, school personnel, families and students who participated in this year's Hack League; and congratulations to the finalists, especially my district's very own Metropolitan Diploma Plus HS."

“I want to extend my congratulations to the entire group of finalist that participated in the Computer Science for All Hack League competition,” said Assembly Member Charles D. Fall. “I am especially proud of the finalists from Port Richmond High School for taking the innovative initiative towards improving our communities on the North Shore of Staten Island. I am proud to see so many young students taking an interest in computer science and civic duty in order to solve some of the pressing issues in our current society, such as environment sustainability, recycling, trash reduction, reducing obesity and encouraging healthier lifestyles to all New Yorkers.”

“Computers in the digital age have connected communities, allowing them to organize like never before in an effort to solve some of the most basic quality of life issues,” said Assembly Member Michael Reilly. “I commend all the winners of this contest for their creativity and civic dedication, but more importantly, I want to congratulate my fellow Staten Islanders on this achievement!”  

“Computer science is a critical skill for all students in the 21st century," said Assembly Member Diana C. Richardson. “I commend Principal Spencer and all of the staff at Parkside Preparatory Academy for their commitment to the students and parents of this amazing school. I also, of course, want to congratulate the students participating in the CS4All Hack League event on making it to the finals. We are very proud of you.”

“I am very pleased to learn that I.S. 392, one of the educational jewels in the crown of Brownsville, Brooklyn has made it to the final stage of this worthwhile competition,” said Assembly Member Latrice Walker. “Computer Science continues to evolve at a rapid pace. This competition has been a fun, learning experience for the students, while preparing them for future success.”

“Computer science is a valuable skill that it becoming more and more integral to all careers, and it deserves a prominent place in our schools,” said Council Member Debi Rose. “Wednesday’s Hackathon gave students a fun opportunity in City Hall Chambers to put those computer science skills to use trying to solve some of our everyday problems. I enjoyed visiting the teams at City Hall, and I look forward to the day that these students’ talent and vision make a real difference in our communities.”

Computer Science for All is part of Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza’s Equity and Excellence for All initiatives. Together, the Equity and Excellence for All initiatives are building a pathway to success in college and careers for all students. Our schools are starting earlier – free, full-day, high-quality education for three-year-olds and four-year-olds through 3-K for All and Pre-K for All. They are strengthening foundational skills and instruction earlier – Universal Literacy so that every student is reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade; and Algebra for All to improve elementary- and middle-school math instruction and ensure that all 8th graders have access to algebra. They are offering students more challenging, hands-on, college and career-aligned coursework – Computer Science for All brings 21st-century computer science instruction to every school, and AP for All will give all high school students access to at least five Advanced Placement courses. Along the way, they are giving students and families additional support through College Access for All, Single Shepherd, and investment in Community Schools. Efforts to create more diverse and inclusive classrooms, including Equity & Excellence for All: Diversity in New York City Public Schools are central to this pathway.

2018-19 Hack League Finalists are from the following schools:

Bronx

Bronx Academy for Software Engineering (BASE)

International School for Liberal Arts

Millennium Art Academy

The Laboratory School of Finance & Technology

PS 89

Wings Academy

Brooklyn

Academy of Innovative Technology

International High School at Lafayette

IS 392

Mark Twain IS 239 for the Gifted & Talented

Metropolitan Diploma Plus High School

Parkside Preparatory Academy

Manhattan

Manhattan Bridges High School

PS 129 John H. Finley

School of the Future High School

Queens

The 30th Avenue School

Forest Hills High School

The Gordon Parks School

Queens High School for Information, Research, and Technology

Young Women's Leadership School, Astoria

Staten Island

IS 34 Tottenville

Marsh Avenue School for Expeditionary Learning

Port Richmond High School

Susan E. Wagner High School

Staten Island School of Civic Leadership

Staten Island Technical High School

 

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Contact:  Chancellor’s Press Office (212) 374-5141