Girls Who Game

There is something exciting quietly happening at École Charleswood School during the lunch hour. Each week, a group students gather to simply game.

The club called, Girls Who Game, is part of a pilot project with Dell Technologies and Microsoft. The idea is to offer young girls access to technology and prepare them for success in a digital world.

“If we can engage these young girls early on to develop their skills and build their self-efficacy and confidence and to realize their potential, that would be a major success, essentially encouraging more women to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers,” said Katina Papulkas, education strategist, Dell Technologies.

Grade 8 student, Leanna Szypowski was interested in STEM before the club began. She now enjoys having a dedicated space and time to show some of her peers what she knows.

“I think it is good for me and everyone, because we can help each other. We can learn with each other and it is far more fun,” shared Szypowski.

The club members are currently busy building a school of the future. The competition has tasked coding members across North America to design a school for students 100 years from now. Szypowski is close to completing her design which includes some green and inclusive features, such as solar panels and additional technology spread out across the building.

“I tried to make every classroom customizable and everyone can share their screens with the group. You can interact with items on the main desks. I also made a logo in the gym and it is a flame, I am still deciding on a school name though,” described Szypowski.

Winners will be announced at the end of February at the Dell Education Roadshow in Toronto. We wish École Charleswood School students the best of luck!