Youth Coding League

05/08/2025

🚨 Reminder for Educators!

Don’t miss your chance to join educators from Cape, Oak Ridge, Jackson, Sikeston, Meadow Heights, Pevely, and Perryville at this no-cost, DESE-approved professional development session that’s all about bringing computer science into every subject matter you teach in your classroom. ✅

🎯 Whether you're looking to boost student engagement, meet state standards, or grow your own confidence with STEM tools—this session is for YOU.

📚 Perfect for elementary teachers looking to make an impact with industry-relevant learning and free resources.

🗓️ Spots are filling fast—secure yours today: info.codefiworks.com/educators

✨ Empower your students and equip yourself at Codefi June 5 & 6!

05/02/2025

💡 Educators: Learn how to integrate computer science into your classroom!

Join us for a no-cost, DESE-approved, professional development session designed to empower you with industry-relevant tools and strategies that bring coding, technology, and innovation to life in your classroom, from art, to music, social studies, math, and everything in between! 💻

🗓️ Whether you're a seasoned tech-savvy teacher or just getting started, this session on June 5 & 6 will provide actionable resources and inspiration to ignite your students' curiosity and future-ready skills.

🔗 Reserve your spot now (only 5 left!): info.codefiworks.com/educators

📍 Brought to you by Codefi and the Youth Coding League, where we believe every student deserves access to opportunity—and every teacher deserves the tools to lead them there.

05/02/2025

🌟 These 7th and 8th grade coders didn’t just build projects — they rallied their communities and made some serious noise doing it! The Community Favorite Awards recognize the teams who inspired votes and support from their community. 👏

🏆 1st Place: ZM Glasses Trio from Zumbrota-Mazeppa Elementary (MN) .
🥈 2nd Place: The Best Robloxers from Zion Lutheran School Belleville (IL).
🥉 3rd Place: Girls on Jupiter from Hardinsburg Elementary (KY).
🔹 4th Place: Dou8ltrou8l3 from Sikeston Middle School (MO).
🔹 5th Place: Copper-9 from Taos Integrated School of the Arts Charter School (NM)
🔹 6th Place: Saturn’s Suns from The Out-of-Door Academy (FL).

We love seeing coders and communities come together! 💥 Check out these championship projects here: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/info/about

Zumbrota - Mazeppa Public Schools Zion Lutheran School Belleville Lutheran Elementary School Association (LESA) Hardinsburg Elementary School Sikeston Middle School UNM-Taos HIVE The Out-of-Door Academy

05/01/2025

🚀 Professional developers from tech companies across the YCL's service area served as anonymous judges this season — and they were blown away by the creativity and skill on display! The bar was high, but these 7th/8th grade Technical Merit projects stood out:

🏆 1st Place: Stop that Mailman! from Lincoln High School (MN) — fantastic user interaction, documentation, and mastery of Scratch mechanics!
🥈 2nd Place: Last Lemmons from Cassville Middle School (MO) — advanced coding, flawless ex*****on, and zero bugs!
🥉 3rd Place: Purple Platypuses from Sikeston Junior High (MO) — a clever and super fun competitive project!
🔹 4th Place: Lemon Meringue Pie from Zion Lutheran School Belleville (IL) — great use of variables that really impressed the judges!

Way to shine, coders! 🌟 View their championship projects here: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/info/about

05/01/2025

🎉 The Community Favorite Awards spotlight amazing teamwork between coders and their biggest fans — and these projects earned tons of love and votes from their communities! 🥳 Let’s hear it for our Middle School Division Community Champions:

🏆 1st Place: ZM Glasses Trio from Zumbrota-Mazeppa Elementary (MN)
🥈 2nd Place: The Best Robloxers from Zion Lutheran School Belleville (IL)
🥉 3rd Place: Girls on Jupiter from Hardinsburg Elementary (KY)
🔹 4th Place: Dou8ltrou8l3 from Sikeston Middle School (MO)
🔹 5th Place: Copper-9 from Taos Integrated School of the Arts Charter School (NM) — celebrating your first postseason victory!
🔹 6th Place: Saturn’s Suns from The Out-of-Door Academy (FL)

Way to coders and teams! See their winning projects here: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/playoffs

Zion Lutheran School Belleville Lutheran Elementary School Association (LESA) Sikeston Middle School UNM-Taos HIVE The Out-of-Door Academy Hardinsburg Elementary School Zumbrota - Mazeppa Public Schools

04/30/2025

🏆 The Technical Merit Awards celebrate outstanding coding skills, and this Spring, these middle school teams absolutely nailed it — impressing teams of professional software developers! 🚀

🎉 Huge congrats to our winners:
🔹 1st Place: Operation DONUT from Idea Hub Central (OR) — first postseason win! Your thorough documentation and thoughtful project wowed the judges!
🔹 2nd Place: Saturn’s Suns from The Out of Door Academy (FL) — stellar complex coding and logic!
🔹 3rd Place: Programming Princesses from Conduit Coders (OK) — your hard work and polish stood out!
🔹 4th Place: Limeade from Cassville (MO) — enjoy your new tablets, you earned them with your creative interactive elements!
🔹 5th Place: Bingchillling Burritos from Cedar Ridge Intermediate (MO) — loved your smooth transitions and clear instructions!
🔹 6th Place: M&M from Breckinridge County Middle (KY) — you're getting a projector for your awesome work!

We’re SO proud of you all! 🥳 Check out the winning projects: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/playoffs

Indy Commons Independence Public Library (OR) The Out-of-Door Academy Grow Ada Cassville Public Schools Cedar Ridge Intermediate Branson Schools Breckinridge County Middle School

04/30/2025

Our top-performing Youth Coding League coders turned in unforgettable performances this spring! 🔥 With eight different attributes every single sprint, many of these coders turned in an entire regular season of perfect scores - that's incredible!

In a national league full of talented, driven young coders, these standouts rose to the top with consistency, fierce commitment, and next-level skills. ⚡

🎉 Let’s hear it for the Top 10 Coders in each division — earning well-deserved recognition (and cash rewards!) for their outstanding effort and excellence in the regular season!

👏 We are so proud to celebrate each and every one of you! 🚀

More info on winners: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/playoffs



Christ Community Lutheran School- St. Louis Branson Public Schools Grow Ada Cape Girardeau Public Schools Breckinridge County Middle School St. Henry Catholic School Cape Central Middle School Cape Central Junior High School Hardinsburg Elementary School

04/29/2025

🏆 After nine weeks of tough competition in the regular season, our top teams have officially earned their spot at the top! 🏆

Through hard work, determination, and serious teamwork, these teams rose to the challenge and claimed their rewards: bragging rights, champion status, and a well-deserved pizza party! 🍕🎉

🥇 5th & 6th Grade Regular Season Champs:
Conduit Coders — supported by Grow Ada out of Ada, Oklahoma!
This crew battled through a super tight race — with just 3 points separating them from 6th place. Way to persevere, Conduit Coders! 🚀

🥇 7th & 8th Grade Regular Season Champs: Christ Community Lutheran School- St. Louis! This historically high-achieving team added yet another win to their impressive resume, proudly supported by the Lutheran Elementary School Association (LESA). 🏅

👏 Congratulations to all of these incredible coders and coaches; your commitment, creativity, and teamwork are what Youth Coding League is all about!

More info on winners: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/playoffs

04/29/2025

🌟 This spring, these Most Improved Youth Coding League coders showed us what heart, grit, and growth look like! 🌟

They stayed open to feedback, pushed through challenges, lifted up their teammates, and tackled new skills with unstoppable persistence. 💪

Choosing the Most Improved wasn’t easy - our coaches had the tough job of making those selections - but we couldn’t be prouder of the coders who made the list! 🏆

Congratulations, coders! 🎉 Your hard work, positive attitude, and incredible growth have not gone unnoticed.

✨ Cash prizes are on their way to you! Keep coding - your future is bright with the work ethic and determination you showed this Spring! 🚀

More info on Spring 2025 winners: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/playoffs

04/28/2025

🎉 Youth Coding League coaches are the heart of the program - and today, we get to celebrate a long-time YCL coach who goes above and beyond, every single season!

Please help us celebrate Mrs. Howe, our Epic Educator for the Spring 2025 season! 👏

Mrs. Howe has been leading the Sikeston Middle School team since Fall 2018 — that’s 14 seasons of sparking curiosity, building confidence, and guiding young coders through every loop, bug, and breakthrough. 💻

With patience, creativity, and a passion for helping students grow into incredible coders and teammates, her impact can be felt in every project, every cheer from the sidelines, and every smile from a coder who believes in themselves a little more. ✨

We are SO proud to honor her as this season’s Epic Educator!

Thank you, Mrs. Howe, for everything you bring to Youth Coding League. We feel so fortunate to get to work with you!

04/25/2025

🏁 They came to code. They left as champions. 🏆

The Youth Coding League Playoffs have wrapped, and the leaderboard is 🔥

From first lines of code to the final stretch, these coders brought hustle, heart, and serious skill. 💪💻

👉 See who took home the title: https://www.youthcodingleague.com/playoffs

Congrats to our winners—you earned your spot at the top!

04/21/2025

Join us today at 3:30, there's always room for more!

🚨 Today’s the Day!

Our Future-Ready Youth webinar kicks off TODAY at 3:30 PM CT — and there’s still time to RSVP! 🎓💻

This Innovate SOMO Week session is for educators, community leaders, and youth advocates who want to bring cutting-edge coding education and career pathways to students—especially in rural communities.

✨ What’s in it for you?

✅ Strategies to launch or grow a Youth Coding League team
✅ Sneak peek at our brand-new, industry-aligned curriculum
✅ Insights from our partnership with the STARS College Network
✅ Real talk from folks doing the work—educators, partners, students & more

🎤 With speakers like:

Phil Layfield, Senior STARS College Counselor

Sunnie Baker, Coach of the Conduit Coders + Ecosystem Content Manager at Grow Ada, joined by her daughter and YCL coder Sophia

Dennis Wiggins, Taney County Partnership

➕ More voices from the Youth Coding League community

🗓 Today – Monday, April 21
🕞 3:30 – 4:15 PM CT
💻 Zoom (free!)
👉 RSVP now: https://www.codefiworks.com/events/future-ready-youth

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the movement shaping the future of tech talent in Southern Missouri.