Friends Academy had three teams of 9th-12th graders compete against 10 other schools in the Columbia Prep Hack-a-thon at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. This is the first year that the student-run event took place and the competitors are hoping to make it an annual event.
The hack-a-thon challenge was to create a video game based on a story (i.e. kids' book, fairy tale, etc). Our students chose Harry Potter, Jack and the Beanstalk, and a murder/mystery text-based decision/role-playing game with different outcomes.
Many of the participants are in AP classes and used what they have learned and modified it. One student in particular is doing an independent study with Upper School Computer Science Teacher, Patricia Castillo; and had experimented with Python and a camera to recognize movement.
When asked about the competition Castillo said, "I thought they did amazing; they stepped it up, showed their creativity and were able to enjoy the time they had even though there was a lot of pressure. No matter the situation, they were always thinking of what else they could have accomplished. They motivated each other and I was very proud of them. Some of my students want to repeat this again!"
The Friends Academy team of Ethan Labelson '22, Gavin Sanders '23, and Daniel Duke '24 received Best Overall recognition for their hand-and-body tracking-focused Jack and the Bean Stalk game.
"Attending a Quaker School definitely added to the experience," said Labelson, "learning how to effectively work with one another and communicate... the testimony of Community really emphasizes that. While I don't plan to go on to do game development, I do want to pursue computer science. The Hack-a-thon has given me experience on how to problem-solve quickly while working with others."
Margaret Pegno
