What CS Champions Say About CS Ed Week in Virginia

We asked the 2025 CS Champions and the 2025 CS Educator of the Year some questions about CS Ed Week! Participants were asked to answer one (or all!) of these three questions:

• What activities or planned events do you have taking place during CS Ed Week this year? 

• How do you use CS Ed Week as a springboard for year-long CS Education in your classroom, school, division or community? 

• What does CS Ed Week mean to you? Why is this an important week to recognize? 

And here's what they had to say!

Deb Crawford - 2025 CS Educator of the Year

Computer Science Education Week 2025 highlights the importance of ensuring that all of our students, as global citizens, develop computer science skills in the Age of AI. Through K-12 classroom Hour of AI experiences and division-wide CS events, learners across classrooms, schools, and the entire division will have the opportunity to explore how they can create with computer science and AI. These experiences also provide a glimpse into our vertical CS pathway courses that build critical skills valued across all emerging careers, supporting students as they progress from elementary to middle to high school.

In Frederick County, students at every school will participate in Hour of AI activities and CS events organized collaboratively by CS teachers, Instructional Technology Coaches, and classroom teachers. Each of our four middle schools will kick off their coding clubs in December, building on interest from classroom CS integrated lessons for all. 

During CS Education Week and CS Month, all high school CS teachers will partner in pairs to visit each middle school, where they will lead engaging, interactive computer science lessons for 8th-grade students. These teams will also share a Why CS? video and recruiting resources to help students and families clearly understand how to access CS pathway courses in high school before course registration. Our CS team has been planning this collaboration with vertical feeder schools since September.

In addition, high school students have been invited to participate in a December 3 webinar to learn about an exciting spring-semester research opportunity called Innovations in Computer Science in the Age of AI, which is supported jointly by VDOE ACSE and College Partnership Lab School grants. In this course, students design and create projects focused on Data Science and Computing Applications in the Age of AI, supported by their teachers working with university mentors.

Together, these efforts reflect our shared commitment to expanding access, building opportunity, and preparing every student for their future, equipped with a CS skill set.

Dr. Deb Crawford, 2025

Yvette Lee - CS Champion - 2025

Sarah Noffsinger - CS Champion - 2025

What activities or planned events do you have taking place during CS Ed Week this year? Through my work with SmithTech, I’ve created a website that serves as a school-wide guide for exploring computer science, not just for SmithTech, but for all students and teachers. I’m also planning to incorporate some hands-on exploration with Micro:bits. Micro:bits are a fun and accessible way for learners to experiment with coding, sensors, LEDs, and other fun projects. My goal is to give students the chance to tinker, create, and get excited about what’s possible with these versatile devices.

How do you use CS Ed Week as a springboard for year-long CS Education in your classroom, school, division or community? I view CS Ed Week as an entry point that can help grow and sustain CS interest across our building. It is an opportunity to show that CS is more than just coding; it is curiosity, problem-solving, cybersecurity, digital literacy, and so much more. It is evident that the integration of computer science into core content classes is fundamental to our students’ success on many levels. By blending computer science into contexts that students are already familiar with, we give them a chance to spark genuine curiosity and personal engagement. Computer science becomes the vehicle in which problem solving, critical thinking, grit, and perseverance are showcased and fostered.

What does CS Ed Week mean to you? Why is this an important week to recognize? CS Ed Week is a reminder of why computer science matters and why every student deserves the opportunity to explore it. For me, it’s a chance to celebrate curiosity, creativity, and the kind of perseverance that comes from tackling meaningful challenges. It’s also an opportunity to model lifelong learning by showing students that it’s okay to take risks, ask questions, and jump into a challenge without knowing all the answers. Being able to tell my students, “I don’t know the answer either, let’s explore it and figure it out together” has helped create a classroom community rooted in curiosity and support. Bringing that visibility to CS as a foundational skill, not just an add on or elective class, is vital to the future of our students – regardless of their career path.

Sandra Wilfong - CS Champion - 2025

We try to make CS Ed Week impossible to miss. We run a themed Spirit Week (including 'Protect Your Identity' and 'Debugging' days) and share quick lessons on the morning announcements. For instruction, we ditch the textbooks in favor of Choice Boards and hands-on robotics sessions so students can learn by doing. The best part is seeing our Resource team get involved; when students see CS concepts showing up in Gym and Art class, it really drives home the message that computer science is for everyone.

I use CS Ed Week as a low-stakes entry point to launch year-long engagement. By bringing the entire building together, we create a shared experience that makes CS approachable for everyone. For students, it validates their identity as problem-solvers. For teachers, it is a 'springboard' because it encourages them to take risks with new technology in a supportive environment. Once they successfully integrate CS into unexpected areas—like Art or Physical Education—during this week, they feel empowered to continue those practices throughout the curriculum year-round. It effectively shifts the mindset from 'CS is a special event' to 'CS is a daily practice.'