MANCHESTER – The township’s high school recently received the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles.
Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP computer science courses. Last year, Manchester was one of 760 schools recognized for achieving 50% or higher female representation in the category of AP Computer Science Principles (CSP).
MTHS Principal Dennis Adams remarked that “we’re proud to congratulate our female AP computer science students and their math and computer science teacher, Rachel Kelly, on this step toward gender parity in computer science education.”
“We’re honored that our school earned this distinction and look forward to seeing these young women and others pursue and achieve success in computer science education and careers.” Adams added.
Female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than five times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to female students of similar background and academic preparation who did not take CSP, according to College Board research data. These findings highlight the importance of schools nationwide achieving gender parity in AP computer science classrooms.
In May of 2020, the median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $91,250. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics datafinds women represent just 24% of the five million people in computing occupations.
Computing jobs are the number one source of new wages in the U.S. Although 67% of all new jobs in STEM are in computing, only 11% of STEM bachelor’s degrees are in computer science.
“By encouraging young women to study advanced computer science coursework, Manchester Township High School is closing the gap in computer science education and empowering young women to access the opportunities available in STEM career fields,” Stefanie Sanford, College Board chief of Global Policy and External Relations said.
Kelly recently spoke to her students about the award and how the program had benefited them. She told The Manchester Times that the responses she received were inspiring.
“I feel smarter after taking this class because I had no idea how to even read code, and now I can read and write code,” student Kaila Rosario said.
Her classmate Princess Sison said, “knowing that women are a minority empowers me to pursue a future in computer science.”
“It’s awesome that females are getting the credit that they deserve,” student Julianna Griffith said.
“New pathways have been opened to me since taking this class,” her fellow class member Jenna Faccone remarked.
Student Lyndsey Vigna said, “I am now able to pick a specific field of computer science as a career goal. I didn’t realize how many different avenues there were to take.”
“I have a lot more confidence going into an engineering field, which is primarily dominated by men,” student Brooke Kuhmichel added.
Student Hailey Sales said “after taking this class I can make more informed decisions about my future.”
Kelly said, “teaching AP Computer Science Principles has opened my eyes to the vast amount of opportunities that await students in the future. I am still learning the ins and outs of computer science myself and I am constantly impressed with how my students are progressing and excelling.”
“It is unfortunate that females are underrepresented in the field, but I am so proud that we are being recognized for starting to bridge the gender gap. I will continue to empower students of all backgrounds to take computer science, which can, in turn, open up a floodgate of new experiences and opportunities,” Kelly added.
The teacher also told The Manchester Times, that “we are starting a WiSTEM (Women in Stem) Chapter at MTHS and we had our first meeting. We had 16 young women who attended and the interest is growing.”
