Chris Maurice

The 2014-2015 school year at Latin seems to have come with lots of change: a new lobby, new rooms, and new classes. One of those new classes is Computer Science. Though interest in this new class was slow at the start, Mr. Wrobel, the new Computer Science teacher, got out in front of the Latin community in an attempt to increase the enrollment in his classes. And it seemed to work. Now,  he has two full classes and Latin’s experiment in Computer Science has officially begun.

Computer Science, the study of the principles and use of computers,  is a vital skill in today’s tech-driven world. According to Mr. Wrobel,  the mission of this class is to teach his students how to “do something with computers.” For some, this will create a stepping-stone into the computer science world. But for others, this class might provide them with the basic knowledge into creating a great foundation for the future. Whether students take one computer science class or major in the subject in college, this introductory course is the perfect starting block.

Mr. Wrobel studied math in college and did not take a Computer Science course until his senior year. He always thought that computer science was “nerdy,” but  soon discovered that it was anything but.. No matter how nerdy computer science might seem, in today’s day and age, one cannot escape it.

Mr. Wrobel aspires  “to give everyone an equal and solid footing in a computer science class.” Other classes that benefit those that have done outside research in the field create an unleveled playing field. Moreover, Computer Science classes outside Latin do not give students a broad view of the field and simply dive into complex coding and programming.. This class is different, however, and everyone who participates will  leave with a strong conceptual knowledge about how computers function.

Computer Science is an incredibly important  tool for understanding our world and whatever previous misconceptions one might have had about Computer Sciences have certainly been proved wrong for not only Mr. Wrobel, but also many of the students in his class. To summarize his utmost passion for the subject, Mr. Wrobel explains that “Computer Science is not a way to pull out of the world; it’s a way to pull into the world.”