HCPSS and HocoHOC are working together on this year’s Hour of AI to encourage students to learn about coding, computer science, and AI.
The Evolution of a Partnership: From Skepticism to Collaboration Several years prior, Julie Wray and Carrie Trudden, who served as Instructional Technology coordinators for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), initially encountered the student-led group Howard County Hour of Code (HocoHOC). Despite their established success using Code.org for the annual Hour of Code event, they received persistent emails from HocoHOC, which initially met with skepticism. However, in spring 2025, their curiosity was piqued, leading them to finally engage. This marked the beginning of a crucial dialogue between the school system and the ambitious student organization, laying the groundwork for a new collaborative approach to promoting computer science education. HocoHOC's Innovative Student-Driven Platform and Vision The pivotal meeting between HCPSS representatives and HocoHOC Co-Directors Daniel Gao (River Hill High School) and Ankit Mohanty (Marriotts Ridge High School) revealed the depth of the student group's initiative. Gao and Mohanty elaborated on HocoHOC's unique online platform, hocohoc.org, which served as a repository for an extensive collection of student-authored articles covering critical areas such as coding, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI). The platform's innovative design allowed students to accumulate points for themselves and their schools by reading these educational articles, culminating in opportunities to win prizes through raffles. This student-centric approach and the platform's robust content greatly impressed Wray and Trudden, highlighting HocoHOC's potential as a valuable partner. Tailoring the Platform for Comprehensive Educational Impact Following the successful initial discussions, HCPSS and HocoHOC embarked on a collaborative effort to meticulously prepare the hocohoc.org website for the Hour of Code week in December 2025, which was rebranded as Hour of AI. This extensive preparation involved a thorough review and revision process to ensure the platform adhered to HCPSS’ stringent accessibility and data privacy guidelines, making it safe and usable for all students. Furthermore, the partnership focused on enriching the site’s content to align seamlessly with HCPSS’ existing Computer Science curriculum. This included the development of new articles, engaging games, and daily challenges specifically designed to cater to students across all grade levels—elementary, middle, and high school. HocoHOC co-director Daniel Gao emphasized the importance of this multi-grade approach, stating, “The jobs of the future are all going to involve coding, computer science, or AI at some level, so the earlier students can start being introduced to those topics, the better.” This proactive strategy aimed to introduce foundational technology concepts early, preparing students for future career demands. Demonstrable Success and Positive Feedback from the 2025 Initiative The collaborative endeavors between Wray, Trudden, and the student leaders of HocoHOC yielded remarkable results during the 2025 Hour of AI. Under the adept leadership of Gao and Mohanty, the initiative successfully brought the crucial subjects of computer science and AI to a wide student audience across Howard County. The engagement statistics underscored its profound impact: the platform garnered over 2,500 registered users, accumulated more than 28,000 article views, and recorded approximately 862 hours of active student participation. Students were highly motivated by the opportunity to earn a variety of prizes, and Dunloggin Middle School, as the winning institution, received a substantial $300 donation from HocoHOC. Gao shared enthusiastic feedback from both students and HCPSS staff, noting that teachers reported students expressed a keen desire to “do more and learn more about coding after reading our articles,” a sentiment he found deeply gratifying. Mohanty added that the excitement evident when distributing prizes made all their hard work feel “worthwhile,” validating the success of the partnership. Sustaining Momentum: The 2026 Hour of AI and Future Plans Propelled by the undeniable success of the previous year, HCPSS and HocoHOC have eagerly renewed their partnership for the 2026 Hour of AI. Ankit Mohanty continues his leadership role as HocoHOC director, now joined by Nicholas Chen, a River Hill High School student, who steps in as co-director following Daniel Gao's graduation. The team is already in full swing, with student writers diligently producing a wealth of new articles designed to further engage and educate. Plans are underway to introduce innovative games and daily challenges, providing students with additional avenues to earn points during the Hour of AI in December. To further incentivize participation, the initiative will once again offer attractive prizes, including a $300 donation to the top-performing school and $50 each to the second- and third-place schools. Mohanty expressed optimism that “the new material and prizes will encourage even more students and schools to participate this year,” aiming to broaden the program's reach and impact. Cultivating Accessibility and Enthusiasm in Technology Education At the core of the HCPSS and HocoHOC collaboration lies a fundamental objective: to demystify complex technological subjects and make them relatable and enjoyable for all students. Mohanty articulated this overarching goal, explaining, “Ultimately, we want to help all students see that while subjects like AI and computer science can seem intimidating, they are accessible—and fun!—if you break them down.” This philosophy drives the content creation and interactive elements of the Hour of AI. The initiative seeks to illustrate that proficiency in coding, computer science, and AI is not an exclusive domain but rather an achievable and engaging pursuit. Students across all grades are encouraged to participate in the upcoming 2026 Hour of AI activities, scheduled from December 8-15, with participating schools providing further details to students and their families. This ongoing commitment aims to cultivate a generation of technologically literate and enthusiastic learners.
The Evolution of a Partnership: From Skepticism to Collaboration
Several years prior, Julie Wray and Carrie Trudden, who served as Instructional Technology coordinators for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), initially encountered the student-led group Howard County Hour of Code (HocoHOC). Despite their established success using Code.org for the annual Hour of Code event, they received persistent emails from HocoHOC, which initially met with skepticism. However, in spring 2025, their curiosity was piqued, leading them to finally engage. This marked the beginning of a crucial dialogue between the school system and the ambitious student organization, laying the groundwork for a new collaborative approach to promoting computer science education.
HocoHOC's Innovative Student-Driven Platform and Vision
The pivotal meeting between HCPSS representatives and HocoHOC Co-Directors Daniel Gao (River Hill High School) and Ankit Mohanty (Marriotts Ridge High School) revealed the depth of the student group's initiative. Gao and Mohanty elaborated on HocoHOC's unique online platform, hocohoc.org, which served as a repository for an extensive collection of student-authored articles covering critical areas such as coding, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI). The platform's innovative design allowed students to accumulate points for themselves and their schools by reading these educational articles, culminating in opportunities to win prizes through raffles. This student-centric approach and the platform's robust content greatly impressed Wray and Trudden, highlighting HocoHOC's potential as a valuable partner.
Tailoring the Platform for Comprehensive Educational Impact
Following the successful initial discussions, HCPSS and HocoHOC embarked on a collaborative effort to meticulously prepare the hocohoc.org website for the Hour of Code week in December 2025, which was rebranded as Hour of AI. This extensive preparation involved a thorough review and revision process to ensure the platform adhered to HCPSS’ stringent accessibility and data privacy guidelines, making it safe and usable for all students. Furthermore, the partnership focused on enriching the site’s content to align seamlessly with HCPSS’ existing Computer Science curriculum. This included the development of new articles, engaging games, and daily challenges specifically designed to cater to students across all grade levels—elementary, middle, and high school. HocoHOC co-director Daniel Gao emphasized the importance of this multi-grade approach, stating, “The jobs of the future are all going to involve coding, computer science, or AI at some level, so the earlier students can start being introduced to those topics, the better.” This proactive strategy aimed to introduce foundational technology concepts early, preparing students for future career demands.
Demonstrable Success and Positive Feedback from the 2025 Initiative
The collaborative endeavors between Wray, Trudden, and the student leaders of HocoHOC yielded remarkable results during the 2025 Hour of AI. Under the adept leadership of Gao and Mohanty, the initiative successfully brought the crucial subjects of computer science and AI to a wide student audience across Howard County. The engagement statistics underscored its profound impact: the platform garnered over 2,500 registered users, accumulated more than 28,000 article views, and recorded approximately 862 hours of active student participation. Students were highly motivated by the opportunity to earn a variety of prizes, and Dunloggin Middle School, as the winning institution, received a substantial $300 donation from HocoHOC. Gao shared enthusiastic feedback from both students and HCPSS staff, noting that teachers reported students expressed a keen desire to “do more and learn more about coding after reading our articles,” a sentiment he found deeply gratifying. Mohanty added that the excitement evident when distributing prizes made all their hard work feel “worthwhile,” validating the success of the partnership.
Sustaining Momentum: The 2026 Hour of AI and Future Plans
Propelled by the undeniable success of the previous year, HCPSS and HocoHOC have eagerly renewed their partnership for the 2026 Hour of AI. Ankit Mohanty continues his leadership role as HocoHOC director, now joined by Nicholas Chen, a River Hill High School student, who steps in as co-director following Daniel Gao's graduation. The team is already in full swing, with student writers diligently producing a wealth of new articles designed to further engage and educate. Plans are underway to introduce innovative games and daily challenges, providing students with additional avenues to earn points during the Hour of AI in December. To further incentivize participation, the initiative will once again offer attractive prizes, including a $300 donation to the top-performing school and $50 each to the second- and third-place schools. Mohanty expressed optimism that “the new material and prizes will encourage even more students and schools to participate this year,” aiming to broaden the program's reach and impact.
Cultivating Accessibility and Enthusiasm in Technology Education
At the core of the HCPSS and HocoHOC collaboration lies a fundamental objective: to demystify complex technological subjects and make them relatable and enjoyable for all students. Mohanty articulated this overarching goal, explaining, “Ultimately, we want to help all students see that while subjects like AI and computer science can seem intimidating, they are accessible—and fun!—if you break them down.” This philosophy drives the content creation and interactive elements of the Hour of AI. The initiative seeks to illustrate that proficiency in coding, computer science, and AI is not an exclusive domain but rather an achievable and engaging pursuit. Students across all grades are encouraged to participate in the upcoming 2026 Hour of AI activities, scheduled from December 8-15, with participating schools providing further details to students and their families. This ongoing commitment aims to cultivate a generation of technologically literate and enthusiastic learners.
