Beginning in January, Lexington’s Charles Young Community Center will be home to a new computer literacy program for Lexington Traditional Magnet School students. It comes through technology benefits offered by a fiber optic telecommunications company.
Starting the first of the year, University of Kentucky engineering students will teach middle school students about digital literacy and eventually computer programming.
Corey Baker is an assistant professor of computer science at UK. “The biggest hurdle when it comes to success of students or anybody in computer science is access. And what this does is just bring access to the community here around the Charles Young Center,” said Baker.
Every week, two classes of eight students each will be taught. LTMS Associate Principal Chad Luhman hopes to see the program grow to 30 students. Luhman says his school serves a district with the lowest rate of household income and the highest rate of crime. “Our district really has a lot of barriers and our students don’t have a lot of avenues or venues to get into the computer, to get on the internet, to do other activities. This will benefit us so greatly.”
MetroNet is providing free gigabit-speed internet service as well as four computers to the east end community center.