Friday May 1^st the WTIA joined Governor Jay Inslee and Seattle Seahawk Earl Thomas III for a Coding is Cool – Hour of Code event at Dimmitt Middle School in South Seattle. The event gave Thomas and the Governor a chance to learn coding first-hand with students coaching them in real-time.

While the Governor challenged the diverse room full of students to be our next generation of creators, of anything from rockets to new wearable devices, Thomas compared their future endeavors to “building a machine”. Thomas said, “like the well oiled machine of the Seahawks Defense, a career in technology takes dedication, teamwork, and no fear.”

Seattle-based code.org organized the Hour of Code event. According to Governor Inslee, “the event is about building confidence, so students are not intimidated to go into computer science.” Thomas attended on behalf of his organization, The Earl Thomas III Guardian Angel Foundation, which will be sponsoring several “Coding is Cool” summer camps this year.

Several kids came away with the ultimate cool status – Earl Thomas selfies to share with friends; even the Governor got to be a fan. Our thanks to Merri Rieger, Renton Schools Superintendent, for hosting the event and Dimmitt Middle School for being a great host.