During this annual free one-day event, youth grades 6th-12th come together to compete in teams or as individuals to create an original video game around a theme, chosen by a local luminary and announced the morning of the competition. Game development professionals coach the teams, and the event culminates with an award ceremony where judges award prizes in various categories. And of course, there’ll be all the FREE meals & snacks & t-shirts you’ve come to expect. Can’t wait to see you there!

New for the Tenth Annual Game Jam, participants will use Godot Game Engine 2D tools package to design and code their games. We’re seeking volunteers to serve as Team Coaches, assisting with execution for the duration of the event,  and as Technical Volunteers , assist in a specific service (for example, graphic assets, sound design, etc) or in general for some part of the day.

We’re also seeking General Volunteers to assist Code in the Schools staff with ensuring the event runs smoothly! Tasks include general support; participant & volunteer check-in; set-up, monitoring & break-down of meals and snacks; supervising students as they move throughout the space; etc.

Game Jam is back on the calendar for Saturday, November 12 after last year’s Covid hiatus. We’ll hold our FREE annual day-long contest for middle- and high-schoolers to develop an original video game at our new office, with all the FREE food & snacks & t-shirts & swag & awards. It’s not too early to sign up by yourself or with a team. No experience necessary! Sign Up Here!

We’re also seeking 2 types of volunteers for the event:

1. Folks with a knowledge of Unity Game Engine tools to coach teams of up to 5 youths during the event. Please click here to register as a technical volunteer.
   If you are interested in attending a pre-event workshop to brush up on your Unity skills, feel free to attend one of our student workshops held at our office at 10 E North Ave.

2. Folks to assist in non-technical ways on the day of the event, by helping with registration, meals, clean-up, etc. Please click here to register as a non-technical volunteer!

Can’t volunteer but still want to help? Join companies like SmartLogic and Sponsor Game Jam! Please contact gretchen@codeintheschools.org for details!

Levels & Benefits

• $500 level - signage & social media posts

• $1000 level - all of the above, plus website & newsletter call-outs

• $2500 level - all of the above, plus title sponsorship

Praxis Prep begins on 7/25 & is hosted until 7/29 @ CITS Offices

This summer MD Codes will be hosting an array of Professional Learning workshops @ Hood College (July 18 - 22) & virtually! Learn more at marylandcodes.org

Join Us for CodeWorks this Summer! See more information on CodeWorks here: https://www.codeintheschools.org/codeworks

Our annual Girls in CS Summit will be held at Baltimore Design School this year on May 14, 2022! Please register below to join us.

The Girls in CS Summit exposes middle- and high-school aged young women who have not traditionally had access to computer science education to a dynamic day of workshops, panels, and networking with leading industry professionals.

If you are a professional and are interested in hosting a workshop, don’t hesitate to sign up as well!

Our annual Girls in CS Summit will be held virtually this year on April 10, 2021! Please register below to join us.

The Girls in CS Summit exposes middle- and high-school aged young women who have not traditionally had access to computer science education to a dynamic day of workshops, panels, and networking with leading industry professionals. Women in tech - please consider hosting a workshop!

The Girls in CS Summit aims to expose middle and high school aged young women who have not traditionally had access to computer science education to a dynamic day of workshops, panels, and networking with leading industry professionals.

We hope that this event will catalyze their interest in computer science and serve as the first step in accessing further CS programming with Code in the Schools and other local organizations.

This event is FREE | Breakfast, Lunch and snacks will be provided

Girls in CS Summit is hosted by Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Sponsored by AT&T

Lunchtime Panel Discussion

Location: Johns Hopkins Carey Business School 

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2020 | 12:45PM – 2:30PM

Organizers: Code in the Schools, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and AT&T

Panel: What Computer Science Looks Like

Moderator: Shervonne Cherry; Director of Community and Partnerships at Spark Baltimore, Organizer at Baltimore Womxn in Tech 

Panelists:

• Mollye Bendell; Intermedia and Digital Sculpture Artist

• Marissa Bush; Computer Science Student at Morgan State University 

• Sunny Jones; Software Engineer and iOS Developer (Freelancer)

• Sydney McDonald; Member at Girls Who Code 

• Ashley Guchhait & Kyrstin Cooksey; Founders and Game Designers at Boba Studios

The panel will offer a unique platform specific to Baltimore’s computer science and arts community. This discussion will explore the gender disparity in CS and STEM fields, the way in which we explore and use computer science in our daily lives and what organizations and opportunities are available to youth in Baltimore. 

The intention of this panel is to raise awareness about the computer science/STEM subject by showing various ways the field can be interpreted. It will also serve as a catalyst for youth to partner with local institutions and organizations to build a support network of young women to encourage and pursue a CS/STEM degree. 

To Facilitate a Workshop

We are looking for professional women to facilitate one-hour workshops on a variety of computer science related topics during the summit. These workshops should show "What Computer Science Looks Like" and how we can start the conversation on bridging the gender gap in computer science and STEM education.

Deadline to submit: January 24, 2020

Workshop proposals are now closed

Meet Our Facilitators

Sarah Dietrich, Software Systems Engineer at Embedded Flight Systems Inc. 

Joy Huggins, Founder and Head Mistress at Defender Academy

Gretchen LeGrand, Co-founder and CEO at Code in the Schools

Misha Isran, Tech Innovation and Economic Development Fellow at City of Baltimore 

Deborah Kariuki, Computer Science Educator at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Manager at Women in ComputingWIC

Angela Reninger, Executive Director at Morgan Stanley

Participant Registration

Spend the day learning “What Computer Science Looks Like” by leading women in the tech industry. Pick from a handful of interactive workshops from robotics, A.I., coding and more!

Join us for our lunch time discussion; we invite our workshop instructors, volunteers and participants to talk about navigating careers in computer science and bridging the gender gap by answering questions like, “Why do so few girls pursue computer science and STEM fields?” and “What needs to happen in education to expose more career options to young women?”.

**No computer science experience needed! | Open to girls in 6th–12th grade**

Deadline to register: February 14, 2020

Student registration are now closed

Volunteer Registration

We need your help!

We are looking for volunteers to help out in a non-technical capacity for our Girls in CS Summit. Know someone who’s interested, share the link below.

Deadline to register: February 12, 2020

Volunteer registrations are now closed