Youth Coding League Fall 2022 Season Preview and Kickoff

August 30, 2022

Breaking record numbers in the history of the Youth Coding League,¹ 98 teams in 9 states will have the chance to learn the basics of computer science and coding while competing against teams of coders across the U.S. this fall. As coders and their coaches gear up for the fall season, bringing education and competition together through the YCL, here’s a look at the roster landscape at the start of the regular season.

Returning Teams

Veteran Southeast Missouri Youth Coding League teams have the benefit of season after season of experience. Will that knowledge propel them to the top in the regular season rankings and postseason playoff series?

Cape Public Schools’ Central Middle School and Central Junior High School
Eagle Ridge Christian School
Jackson Public Schools' Jackson Middle School and Jackson Junior High School
Scott County Central
Sikeston Public Schools’ Sikeston Middle School and Sikeston Junior High
St. Henry School
Trinity Lutheran School
Chaffee Public Schools’ Chaffee Elementary and Chaffee High School
Nell Holcomb
Meadow Heights
Richland R2
Scott City Middle School

They scored big prizes in the Spring 2022 postseason. Will they have repeat success this Fall?

Southern Missouri schools coming from Cape Girardeau, Charleston, Essex, Jackson, Kirkwood, Sikeston, and Steele all placed at the top in the postseason and have quite the reputation to uphold this Fall.
- In the middle school division, Jackson Middle School won first place in both the technical merit and community favorite categories. St. Henry School from Charleston took third in the technical merit category. South Pemiscot in Steele captured two top-10 wins last season, taking fifth place in the technical merit and fourth place in the community favorite category. Richland in Essex also took home two top-10 wins, coming in fourth in the technical merit and seventh in the community favorite category. Scott County Central took second in community favorite.
- The top spot in the junior high division for the technical merit category was captured by longtime YCL veteran, Scott County Central in Sikeston. Second place technical merit went to St. Henry School, with third going to Christ Community Lutheran School in Kirkwood, and Nell Holcomb taking home fourth place. A rookie school from Campbell High School took home the top spot for community favorite last season, with Scott County Central capturing second place, Rogers Middle School in third, Jackson Junior High in fourth, and Richland in fifth.
Coming from across the Mississippi, Joseph Arthur Middle School in O’Fallon, Illinois, took home sixth place in technical merit for their project.
Schools from the west Kentucky region took home multiple top 10 prizes this spring! These are the schools to be on the lookout for this Fall. For the middle school division, Hardinsburg Elementary coders took home two major wins last spring, winning second place in the technical merit category and third in the community favorite category. Irvington Elementary placed seventh in technical merit. Ben Johnson Elementary School won fifth place in community favorite while also taking home eighth place in technical merit. Lone Oak Intermediate School captured sixth place in the community favorite category, with Heath Elementary School taking home eighth place.
Bishop Seabury Academy out of Lawrence, Kansas, captured fifth place in the very competitive junior high division’s technical merit category, where projects are evaluated anonymously by professional software developers for code proficiency and skill.

Coders worked their way through a structured curriculum and are scored each week during the regular season. It’s not easy to dive into the basics of computer science while achieving at such a high level—and our regular season top individual scoring coders did just that.

In the middle school division, King City Elementary dominated the regular season with a first-place finish, with coders from Sikeston Middle School taking both second and third place. St. Henry Elementary took fourth place, Trinity Lutheran Elementary in fifth and sixth place, Scott County Central in seventh and eighth, Morgan Elementary in ninth, and Sikeston Middle School in tenth.
On the junior high side, coders from both Christ Community Lutheran School and Scott County Central were neck-and-neck, resulting in a four-way tie for first place. St. Henry was close behind them in fifth place, followed by another four-way tie between coders from King City Junior High, Scott County Central, Jackson Junior High, and Nell Holcomb with St. Henry Junior High wrapping up our top 10 individual scorers in the regular season.

[Image Credit: Center on Rural Innovation]

New Teams

With over 35 new schools and organizations entering their rookie season of competition, they are hungry and ready to prove themselves. They’re fresh, ready to learn, and ready to win.

Florida

The Out-of-Door Academy out of Sarasota, Florida

Illinois

Central Intermediate School out of Washington, Illinois

Supported by Lutheran Elementary School Association (LESA)

LESA is a consortium of Lutheran schools in the metropolitan St. Louis area who work collaboratively to support and enhance Lutheran education as they serve children and their families in their own unique location.

Zion Lutheran School Belleville out of Belleville, Illinois

Minnesota

Supported by Red Wing Ignite

Red Wing Ignite fuels economic development by working with key sectors of the community to spur innovation by supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, and students. The nonprofit organization was founded by the community of Red Wing in 2013, with the support of local foundations and the City of Red Wing.

Bluff View Elementary out of Lake City, Minnesota
Goodhue Elementary School 5/6 out of Goodhue, Minnesota
Kenyon-Wanamingo Middle School out of Kenyon, Minnesota
Twin Bluffs Middle School out of Red Wing, Minnesota
Zumbrota-Mazeppa School out of Zumbrota, Minnesota

Missouri

Supported by the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC)

The Missouri Technology Corporation is a public-private partnership created by the Missouri General Assembly to promote entrepreneurship and foster the growth of new and emerging high-tech companies. Their vision is to transform Missouri through the power of entrepreneurship by serving as a catalyst for technology-based innovation to achieve sustainable economic growth.

Buchanan Intermediate School out of Branson, Missouri
Cedar Ridge Intermediate School out of Branson, Missouri
Fremont Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
Henderson Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
McGregor Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
Musgrave Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
O'Reilly Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
Pershing Middle School out of Springfield, Missouri
Sertoma Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
Stalnaker Unit, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri
Teen Program, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield out of Springfield, Missouri

Supported by Lutheran Elementary School Association (LESA):

Immanuel Lutheran School St. Charles out of St. Charles, Missouri
Immanuel Lutheran School of Wentzville out of Wentzville, Missouri
Our Savior Lutheran School out of Fenton, Missouri
St. Mark's Lutheran School out of Eureka, Missouri

Supported by the Crowder College

Building a civil, serving, literate, learning community of responsible citizens, Crowder College is a two-year community college in southwest Missouri offering training for career and transfer degrees, supporting southern Missouri schools in the Youth Coding League for the 2022-2023 school year thanks to a Catalyze Challenge grant.

Carthage Sixth Grade Center 5/6
Cassville Intermediate 5/6
Diamond Middle School 7/8
Lamar West Elementary 5/6
Liberal Elementary School 5/6
Make Our Day 5/6 & 7/8
Noel Elementary 5/6
Noel Junior High 7/8
Neosho Middle School 5/6
South Middle School 7/8
Triway PK-8
Webb City Middle School 5/6

New Mexico

Supported by the UNM-Taos HIVE

The UNM-Taos Hub of Internet-based Vocation and Education (HIVE) offers an individualized learning journey for those interested in working online or becoming an entrepreneur. The “hive” environment combines small business coaching and mentorship, a coworking space, and community college classrooms to support any stage of learning in an accepting, accessible, and community-led atmosphere.

Taos Academy Charter School 5/6 & 7/8

Fall 2022 is our biggest season of competition yet, and we can’t wait to see what these coders are going to build!

Do you want your students to access coding, competition, and fun? We want to include you in this round-up for Spring 2023. Learn more about the Youth Coding League here.²

Relevant Links

¹ Youth Coding League Competition Site
²Youth Coding League Educator's Guide