High Schoolers Crack The Code

High school junior Neiel Ventura took a chance on a new after-school computer science program in Fair Haven. Months later, Ventura has set her sights on a career goal in technology and has cultivated the skills to support it — and built her own website designed to sell sneakers.

Since January, Ventura and dozens of other high school students from schools around the city have been enrolled in the after-school at District Arts + Education (DAE), where they’re learning 21st century skills in computer science, coding, and web design. The course takes place at the innovation hub DISTRICT at 470 James St.

In addition to the academic element, the program boasts an inclusive community, which is apparent in the student-first approach to learning and emotionally-attentive instructors. As of January of this year, DAE has partnered with New Haven Public Schools to make the program an official after-school extension in the district. (Click here to learn more about the program.)

Ventura was hesitant to apply to the program when representatives from DAE gave a presentation at her school, Metropolitan Business Academy, to recruit students.

“At first I wasn’t really interested in it,” she said. But after checking out the program’s website, Ventura decided to give it a try. 

“I ended up liking what I was learning. It really does help you in the future, if you want to start a business and build your own website,” she said. Now, Ventura said. she ​“wants to do something in the future with technology.” She said her time at DAE will help her decide how she wants to continue this education.

Ventura’s group meets from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Another cohort meets at the same time on Mondays and Wednesdays, and everyone comes together for a full-group session on Fridays.

The sunlit office has couches, a kitchen with snacks, and endless computers. Program Founder and CEO A.M. Bhatt said he wants the space to feel like they are at home, both comfortable in and responsible for the space. There’s a puzzle in progress on one large table near the front, and emotional support puppy Freyja trots freely throughout the space. Each student is accountable to a rotation of basic chores to keep the place tidy.

At the start of each day, students gather in a circle with their instructors to check-in and discuss their mindset for the day. They talk about their day’s focus, and what blockers are potentially making this goal more challenging. Students come as they are, and many are comfortable to share whatever external factors may be causing them stress, exhaustion, or distraction.

Following the check-in, students take seats in front of a projector, where instructor Diego Tardio, the ​“associate software engineering educator,” reviews the project goal for the day. 

Tardio received his computer science education in the same building he teaches, at the Holberton School, a global software engineering education program, which recently closed its New Haven campus. It was there that Tardio experienced project-based learning and a peer-to-peer education model, helping Tardio realize his passion for youth development.

“Teaching myself and my classmates how to code here is what motivated me to teach younger kids,” Tardio said.

The students have learned coding languages and built their own websites, like Ventura’s sneaker site.

Suling Chen, another junior from the Metropolitan Business Academy, built a website to help herself learn more about the field of naturopathy and another to educate others about racquet sports. Without a decisive interest in computer science, Chen had shared a similar hesitance as Ventura to the idea of the program before joining. But one teacher’s encouragement to apply pushed Chen to join.

“She was like, ​‘Coding can be really beneficial to you in the future when you’re going into the business world.’ I thought, I might as well join because learning coding would be another asset for me. It’ll be interesting, another skill that I can use in the future,” Chen said.

Bhatt emphasized how important this type of technological learning is for the students and the economy. He said local businesses and governments who are desperate for tech-savvy entry-level employees should invest more in financing the education of the type of worker they desire.

After the day’s work, students come together again with instructors for a closing check-in circle, where they discuss what they learned, how the day went, and what their goals for the next session will be. 

Jill Goodman, the associate education + community manager and a former public school educator, is passionate about this social-emotional aspect of learning at DAE. She said that the well-being of the whole student and attention to the various external factors in their personal lives is sometimes more important than the academic piece. She said the students ​“need to be cared about as young people, not numbers,” and that learning is impossible when the conditions are forced.

The philosophies of learning at DAE align with what Goodman has believed for several years, and she said the personal aspect brings more meaning to the job. In addition to the regular check-ins, instructors make themselves available for listening and support, and they even have therapy dog Freyja on site.

DAE has been offering this type of programming for students in New Haven since May of 2020. They partnered this past winter with New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) to expand the opportunity to more students.

NHPS Assistant Superintendent Evie Velazquez said with the help of ESSER (federal pandemic relief) funding, the district invested $400,000 into DAE to host the school district’s after-school extension program. That funding has provided DAE with the capacity to teach 50 students. As of May, they’ve filled 40 of those slots.

“We really want our high school students to have access to this kind of programming, learning about web design, and entry-level skills for higher paying jobs in IT,” said Velazquez. 

“We’re also learning from them. We’re looking to not only build in this opportunity after school, but in three years, I want to see our computer science courses in the high school to look more like this,” she said.

DAE also offers a four-month adult education intensive course for people finishing their GED to gain computer specialist skills in New Haven. In addition, they have a branch in Stamford, which opened in January of this year. At that location, the program offers education in video, music, and audio production — lessons which they hope to bring to New Haven in the coming years.