Area leaders partner with TVA to fund computer science classes across the district

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - The Tennessee Valley Authority, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, and Warren County Public Schools partnered to support the funding of computer science classes across the district.

The grant is a collaborative effort between all three partners in building instructional capacity for students interested in computer science and entrepreneurial skills while supporting a curriculum where they can develop their viable products.

“Students need barriers removed so that we can allow them to shine,” said WCPS Director of Grants and Community Outreach, Dr. Tracey Young.

She added that the grant will also allow the district to have teachers be credentialed to teach computer science.

“Finding computer science skilled instructors is hard, it is an area of the workforce where they’re having a difficult time finding computer science skill sets amongst just the general population of folks,” Dr. Young said. “What this grant does is support training in the summers and throughout the year for teachers to become credentialed in computer science and that permanently becomes a part of their license to teach.”

One of the first schools in the district to receive funds from the grant was Greenwood High School.

“It’s pretty mind-blowing what our students are doing and creating here,” said Harry Schmidt, Manager of Field Operations for TNA’s Economic Development Team. “This is our starting point, the grant funding applies to all the Warren County Public Schools so today we’re seeing what Greenwood would do.”

Greenwood Senior Jett Hall said the grant will make coding easier for him and his group.

“We can learn what we’re doing instead of trying to wing it and then test it and stuff like that,” he said. “There’s one coding platform called Unity. It’s a gaming platform. If we did have the money and funds to do that, it’d helped with all of our projects.”

Next semester, the students will visit Western Kentucky University to present their projects to judges for additional funding.

“It’s sort of like a shark tank-like presentation. We’re talking to entrepreneurs and just presenting our ideas to them,” said Greenwood Sophmore, Jacob Stewart.

In the last few years, the TVA has funded 30 different communities with over $2 million.