ADVISORY TO NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

WHAT:           
Eighteen teams of computer-savvy teens will put their high-tech skills to the test at Webster University during the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology’s seventh annual High School Programming Challenge

WHEN:           
Saturday, May 1, 2010, from 9 a.m. to noon

WHERE:           
Webster University’s Sverdrup Business & Technology complex, 8300 Big Bend Blvd. (intersection of Big Bend and Edgar Rd.)

BACKGROUND:           
Sponsored by Maritz, Hunter Engineering and World Wide Technologies, the three-hour competition tests high schoolers in object-oriented programming and Web programming with questions designed to emphasize problem-solving skills instead of merely focusing on code writing.

The Challenge is held each year to stimulate interest among high school students in pursuing a career in programming. The need for those in high-tech jobs continues to grow and this competition is a way to recognize the skills of teens already working with computers at a high level, and to promote the latest cutting-edge careers available in the field.

The top three schools in each division take home trophies and cash prizes. Local schools participating in this year’s Challenge include Ladue Horton Watkins High School, DeSmet Jesuit High School, Marquette High School, De Soto High School, South Technical High School, Montgomery County High School, Parkway South High School and Ft. Zumwalt High School.

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