Student Programs
2008 Technology Training Program
HSCC Student Fun Day
Saturday, August 9, 2008
12:00 - 3:00pm
Dave & Busters
4000 Venture Drive | Duluth, GA
While at the BDPA 2008 National Technology Conference,
all BDPA HSCC teams are invited to join us
for an afternoon of fun!
Download event flyer
Atlanta BDPA has recruited a team of high school students, grades 9-12, for its hands-on 2008 Technology Training Program! The program kickoff event was held on Saturday, November 17th at Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston Campus and was a tremendous success!
Visit the online Photo Album of the kickoff event.
More than 30 students applied to participate, and over the next 10 months, they will meet weekly and receive quality instruction in basic programming concepts using the .NET programming language, Web site design using HTML, database design and various topics in career development. These valuable skills are marketable and can be put to practical use immediately.
Four to five qualified students will be selected from the training program to participate in the 2008 BDPA National High School Computer Competition held during the 2008 BDPA Annual Technology Conference. High School students from BDPA chapters across the country will have the opportunity to compete and apply what they have learned, network with other students, and meet representatives from some of the top companies in the Information Technology industry.
Overview: National High School Computer Competition (HSCC)
The BDPA National High School Computer Competition, (HSCC), was founded in 1986 by Dr. Jesse Bemley, of Washington, D.C. What started as a two-team event between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA. has grown to over 20 teams of various high school students from chapters throughout the nation. It's all designed to introduce our Youth to the field of Information Technology, encourage them to seek higher levels of education, and groom many of them to become our next generation of IT professionals.
Throughout the year, local chapters conduct training programs for the youth in their communities. These programs are designed to expose our youth to the concepts of computers and give them the expertise to develop web applications. Some chapters will participate in regional competitions throughout the country to further prepare their students. Each BDPA chapter is able to send one team of 3 to 5 students to the National Conference to compete against teams from chapters all over the country.
Once at the National Conference, students will be able to attend Workshops and Seminars covering topics related to Personal Development, Academic Development, Youth Entrepreneurship and Information Technology. They will be able to participate in activities including, Corporate Sponsored luncheons and receptions, visits to educational places in the hosting city (i.e. museums), and networking evenings with IT professionals and students from around the country. On top of all this, they get to showcase their talents in the National Competition which consists of a timed computerized written exam, oral questions and the development of a web application per specifications. If they feel creative, they can also participate in a T-Shirt Design Competition.
Competition Format
The National High School Computer Competition consists of three parts, Oral Questioning, Computerized Examination and a Programming Component. On the first day there is an oral round robin of questions. In addition there is a computerized examination using Quiz Factory software donated by LearningWare. Each student is given 15 minutes to answer as many questions as they can. Questions for the Oral and Computerized component cover a variety of computer fundamentals and BDPA history. On the second day, each team is given a Program Specification for a typical business problem. They have 6 to 8 hours and one computer to analyze, design, program, and document a solution to the problem. In building their web application, the teams have a choice between the following technologies, Sun Microsystems Java Technology, Microsoft ASP, Open Source Software PHP, or Microsoft .NET. Students use these technologies in conjunction with SQL to retrieve data from a database and generate dynamic HTML content for display in a web browser. They are then required to present their solution to a team of judges.
Student Eligibility: Students who will be entering the 9th through 12th grade during August or September or graduating from high school the year of the competition are eligible to participate. They must also be a member of BDPA and sponsored by a local chapter.
To prepare students for the Programming Component of the competition, they are trained in the following areas:
- Microsoft ASP
- Sun Microsystems Java Technology
- Open Source Software PHP
- Microsoft .NET
T-Shirt Design Contest: Teams create T-shirt designs that graphically and creatively capture the essence of the conference theme.