Base Camp Introduces Class of 2017

Back Row (left to right): Ricky Keilsing (Lafayette); Jacob Spence (Water Valley); James Sibert (Lafayette); Dustin Buice (Sardis); Adam Tutor (Pontotoc); Keegan Faustin (Water Valley); Kyle Spence (Water Valley); Martin Guzman (Oxford); James Hakim (Oxford); Eddrick Butler (north Panola)
Middle Row (left to right): Milttreonna Owens (Water Valley); Nicole Shelton (Water Valley); Addey Welch (Water Valley)
Front Row: Haleem Jones (Water Valley)

Thank you for making Base Camp possible.

We have talked about the concept of local accelerated software development training for the past year. It was exciting to talk about, the value and the need apparent to all of us who stopped and considered. Every milestone on the way to moving this from discussion to reality was a little boost to keep us moving forward.

None of it compares to greeting the students each morning, watching their small and large victories, and seeing them take joy in their own and their classmates’ successes. If you have time to come for a visit, (you are always welcome,) we recommend coming in the mid-afternoon during show and tell when the students, with varying levels of shyness and pride, show off their latest programs.

If you were not able to attend the open house in May, allow us to introduce the Base Camp class of 2017.

Classroom Progress:

In a short 14 days Sean Anthony and Nate Clark have fostered a culture of excellence and mutual support in the classroom. Students arrive at 8:30 each morning, and spend the next 8 hours engaged in intense learning, practice, and discussion. The long days are broken up by short breaks that include the continuation of the endless ping pong tournament, walks outside, and on special days when the teachers are particularly impressed with the progress, they track down the local snow cone truck.

The results to date are 100 percent attendance, and a rate of learning and skill mastery that is exceeding our highest expectations.

Nate and Sean wasted no time, and on the second day of class the students were grasping the concept of functions. In their second week each student was able to build virtual gas station, a program that allow a customer to identify the grade of fuel and quantity desired, and have the program determine the cost of the transactions and produce an itemized receipt with tax calculations.

Independent projects have included programs that render color images of pizzas with various toppings, interactive tick tack toe games, and programs that turn text into speech.

Remember, 14 days ago the majority of these students had zero experience with computers. They are now able to write programs that make decisions, and this morning are working on lists, the first step towards accessing databases.

This is amazing, and we are all glowing with pride.

We are also daily grateful to Sean and Nate. Their passion, dedication, and good cheer through these long days in the classroom is inspiring to their students, and to all of us.

Access:

If you would like to keep up with the goings-on in the Base Camp classroom in between these monthly newsletters, Sean does a great job posting updates to our social media sites:

https://www.facebook.com/basecampcodingacademy/

https://www.instagram.com/basecampcoding/

We have also enjoyed great coverage from our local media and regional partners.

http://www.wtva.com/news/local/Coding_Camp_could_help_students_land_good_paying_jobs.html

Some of our students are enjoying all the attention.

Other News and Information

Fundraising Activities: Kagan and Glen continue meeting with business and philanthropic leaders across Mississippi to ensure Base Camp has the resources to fully serve our students. Any warm introductions you can offer are greatly appreciated.

TechHire Grant: No news has been received to date.

Founding Partners: Northwest Mississippi Community College

Founding Sponsors:
Diane and Dickey Scruggs
The C Spire Foundation
Paige and Glen Evans
Ambassador John Palmer
CoreLogic
Generous/modest philanthropist No.1
Renasant Bank

Community Sponsors: Trustmark National Bank

For questions or comments, email us at hottytoddynews@gmail.com.

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