Kids throughout Solano County will have the opportunity to learn what goes into making those technological devices they are so ingrained in work while having fun and getting competitive. St. Dominic School will be hosting a Hackathon Jr. event.

   Hackathon Jr. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit which aims to encourage Science, Technology, Engineering and Math skills for students through a youth learning competition. The competition was the brainchild of four University of Phoenix doctoral students: CEO Rose Lorenzo, Community Relations Director  Neal Morrados and Directors of Curriculum Play Deby Ranft and Katie Perata, who is also the principal at St. Dominic. 

   “Through discussions on children on social media, technology and empathy, Hackathon Jr. was born,” Lorenzo said. 

   Lorenzo noted that studies have shown children immersed in technology have lower emotional intelligence, so her team is striving to improve emotional intelligence by giving those technology-invested children collaborative skills and real-world applications to go with their technology use. 

   The goal, Lorenzo said, is to host events in each of the team members’ home states. In June, a Hackathon Jr. event was hosted at the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa, Fla.— Morradoas’ home state—, and future events will be hosted at Campbell University in North Carolina where Lorenzo lives and at an undetermined location and time in Nevada where Ranft lives. To represent California, Hackathon Jr. will be hosting its next event in Benicia at Perata’s school. 

   “We want to represent the children in our communities,” Lorenzo said.

   The program, aimed at children ages 9 to 13, will be split into two parts. In the first part, students will learn how to code, either through making a phone application or making a game. In the second part, students will get into competition mode. They will be split into teams where they will come up with a social or community that involves a technological solution, namely software programming and coding. 

   Lorenzo hopes students will gain a variety of skills from the competition, including collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and presentation. 

   “They’ll be presenting their code and their idea, whether it’s an app or a game, to the judges during the competition,” she said. 

   Registration for the Benicia Hackathon Jr. event is open through Friday, Aug. 31 at hackathonjr.networkforgood.com/events/7764-hackathon-jr-st-dominic-school. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 at St. Dominic School, located at 935 East 5th St. All children, ages 9 to 13, throughout Solano County are invited to sign up. Coding expertise is not required, although students are encouraged to bring their own laptops. For more information, visit hackathonjr.com. 

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