Give girls a challenge and they will amaze you. Principal Sakina Pitts says her 5th-8th grade students enthusiastically dedicated themselves to learning video game design in a STEM coding experience created by Liberty Science Center and funded by Prudential. Using a visual programming language known as Scratch, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chancellor Avenue School students spent two semesters learning with LSC STEM educators and had a blast.

They even "met" a professional coder via Skype and spoke with her about careers in computer science. "The Energy of the Science Center staff was very positive and motivational for students," Ms. Pitts reports, "and the students were proud of their new abilities. One young lady designed her game to have an infinite number of levels so it would never end. They were recognized throughout the school as true game designers by the end of the program."