St Joseph’s College Borrisoleigh notes

Coder Dojo comes to St. Joseph’s

A new Coder Dojo club starts in St. Joseph’s secondary school in Borrisoleigh this week.  The St. Joseph’s Coder Dojo is run by volunteers within the school and pupils have the opportunity to learn how to code, develop websites, mobile applications, programs, games, electronics and more. “With the ever increasing demand for ICT graduates and the increased exposure to digital media and systems, students are hungry for knowledge and information in the area.  We are delighted to be leading the way in this field and preparing our students for the rapidly changing working environment” said Kevin McCarthy, Principal at St. Joseph’s.

Games Fleadh Tipp

Jacqueline Humphries, IT Lecturer from LIT Thurles was involved in starting the Coder Dojo movement in Tipperary in 2012, and is assisting St. Joseph’s in establishing the club.  She stated that Coder Dojo clubs provide an opportunity for young people to experiment and learn from their peers and from experts in the industry in a fun and interactive way.  “I came in contact with St. Joseph’s whilst judging at the SciFest competition, and I was taken aback with the sheer number of projects entered by the school.  They were given the accolade of the “Best School for Science” by SciFest, and have also won at BT Young Scientist last year.  Their approach to teaching science and technology in a fun and engaging way is exemplary, and so I feel the Coder Dojo is the perfect fit, and the next logical step for the school, and I’m delighted to be in a position to help.” said Ms. Humphries.

Kevin McCarthy said he was thrilled to provide the opportunity to their boys and girls.   A number of our students have been attending Coder Dojo for several years in other venues, and so to bring their knowledge and experience back to the school is invaluable.

Teacher,Mr.Cathal O’Shea will co-ordinate this club on Wednesday evenings 4.00pm to 5.00pm. Leading the group is our own John Ryan who has won numerous programming competitions including the Google Call to Code, Coolest Projects Award and reached the final six of the All-Ireland Programming Olympiad team.

The Coder Dojo club is limited to students of St. Joseph’s and will run once a week after school.