by Spencer Klink ’20
Hack HW is a two day, overnight programming workshop taking place in the Seaver Library at the Upper School. The event spans Saturday and Sunday, and students interested in coding and developing have the opportunity to take part in competitions and attend seminars led by professional programmers. The hackathon is open to students from ninth through 12th grade, and no experience is necessary in order to participate.
Hack HW begins at 8:30 a.m on Saturday, and students will first attend an hour-long introduction to the hackathon. Students will be split into 15-20 groups in which they will create a project and attempt to win a prize. A brainstorming session will then occur in order to allow students to prepare for the competition. Ten mentors will be available to work with the students and teach them what they have learned.
Throughout the two days of programming, high schoolers will learn to code on a variety of different platforms, such as iOS devices or the Arduino, a microcontroller that enables users to create technology that interacts with the world.
Meals, including Chinese food, pancakes, sandwiches and burgers, will be provided throughout the day. S’mores and sundaes will be available at 2-3 a.m. on Sunday morning. Attending students can also 3D print a customized phone case and learn to fuse two wires together or solder.
On Sunday at 4:30 p.m, students will have the opportunity to showcase the final result in a seven- to eight-minute-long presentation.
“I’m looking forward to being able to spend the weekend with people with similar interests, getting to meet lots of people from the industry and learning about their experiences,” Samuel Buckley-Bonanno ’19 said.