
The
College
Board
awarded
Potomac
High
School
the
AP®
Computer
Science
A
Female
Diversity
Award.
This
award
is
for
schools
that
have
not
only
expanded
girls'
access
in
Advanced
Placement
(AP®)
Computer
Science
courses
but
also
achieved
high
female
representation
in
AP
Computer
Science
A
(AP
CSA).
In
total,
1,020
schools
were
recognized
for
their
work
toward
equal
gender
representation
during
the
2020-21
school
year,
and
Potomac
High
is
one
of
199
schools
to
receive
the
AP
CSA
recognition.
AP
CSA
students
learn
to
design
and
implement
computer
programs
that
solve
problems
relevant
to
today's
society.
At
Potomac,
students
can
take
AP
CSA
in
addition
to
AP
Computer
Science
Principles
or
classes
in
the
Cybersecurity
specialty
program.
Hilary
Mahalchick,
administrative
coordinator
of
the
Cambridge
Programme
and
gifted
resource
teacher
at
Potomac,
emphasized
the
value
of
these
courses,
sharing
that
they
allow
students,
whether
there
is
an
initial
interest
in
technology
or
not,
to
explore
the
field
for
free.
"If
they
are
exposed
to
opportunities
early,
this
will
make
it
more
likely
for
students
to
take
[science,
technology,
engineering,
and
math]
courses
later
in
life,
especially
for
our
female
students
and
other
students
who
are
typically
underrepresented
in
the
field
of
technology,"
explained
Mahalchick.
Looking
ahead,
Potomac
hopes
to
see
continued
growth
in
its
female
participation
in
computer
science
programs
as
more
learn
about
available
courses
in
the
School
Division
and
technology
opportunities
beyond
school.
"We
are
seeing
more
female
elementary
school
students
learning
about
coding,
STEM
related
careers,
and
technology
courses
so
this
is
creating
more
growth
in
the
high
school
programs
as
these
students
move
up
to
us,"
added
Mahalchick.