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CodeDay School Helpdesk

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How are projects judged?

Judges are asked to evaluate projects on the basis of, in order of importance:

Difficulty: given what you knew going in, how hard did you have to work to create your project?
Creativity: how original and fun is your project?
Polish: this is the "anything else" category, and includes things like having great UI, a tutorial level, etc.

Judges do not consider:

How technically difficult the project is in absolute terms.
Business plans, marketing collateral, or a pitch deck (except as part of "polish").

When does judging happen?

Judges walk around at 9am, before presentations. At least one judge will try each project, and talk to the team. Deliberation happens during presentations, so please don't create a presentation: it will only bore your friends and family.

Should we bring anything to CodeDay?

Yes!

Generally, you need to bring a computer with you to CodeDay, unless you specifically requested a loaner computer or a Chromebook as part of your registration.

For Students Staying Overnight

We recommend you bring:

A toothbrush and toothpaste.
A sleeping bag.
A pillow.
A camping pad, if you have one.

For Students With Desktop Computers

While desktop computers are welcome at CodeDay, we do not have any equipment available for students to use with their desktop computers. You will need to bring everything, including:

A keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
Headphones. (Speakers are not allowed.)
A wifi adapter. Most CodeDay venues do not allow participants to connect to wired ethernet.
All necessary cables.

Can parents attend CodeDay?

For security reasons, parents are generally not allowed at CodeDay, except for the following two times:

Kickoff (Saturday, 11am-12:30pm)
Presentations and Awards (Sunday, 10am-12pm)

Parents may attend if they are accepted as a volunteer and pass a background check and training, or are a chaperone for a school group.

If you have a food allergy or other dietary restrictions, please let us know in the pre-event survey, which is part of the contact info/waiver signing process.

Do new students really have a chance of winning an award at CodeDay?

Yes! We've found that, in general, the skill of participants does not play a significant role in who wins awards.

Remember, judges do not look at the absolute difficulty of a project, but the difficulty for each particular team. Put another way, no one would be impressed at a pro athelete competing in high school basketball. To win an award, advanced teams must also push themselves outside their comfort zone

I'd like to speak to someone on the phone about CodeDay. How can I reach you?

Teachers and other school administrators can call our school hotline at 888-607-7763.

(Unfortunately, as a small non-profit which serves over 10,000 students a year, we're not able to provide general phone support for parents in advance of CodeDay.)

When does CodeDay start?

Doors will be open at 11am; and CodeDay kicks off at noon. We recommend arriving by 11:30 to have a chance to meet other students, and to participate in pre-event activities.

Parents and other family are welcome to stay until the end of the kickoff, around 12:30.

Are desktop computers allowed at CodeDay?

Yes, desktop computers are allowed, however you will need to bring everything required for your computer to work, including a monitor and all cables.

Most CodeDay venues do not allow participants to use the wired ethernet, so you will also need to bring a wifi adapter.

One of our students won an award at CodeDay. Can we get a copy to display at school?

Sure! Just fill out this form. Please use a school mailing address to avoid having to complete additional verification.

Our school has students sign a release form for field trips. Can we bring that instead of your form?

Unfortunately, students still need to bring a signed copy of the official release form.

While your school release may indeed contain similar language, we would need to consult with our lawyers to make that determination, which is prohibitively time-consuming.

Will my students be safe at CodeDay?

CodeDay is very safe. In over 400 events attended by tens of thousands of students, we haven't had a single safety problem. Here's how we do so:

Venues are generally locked down to ticketed attendees, except that family may attend kickoff (Saturday 11am-12:30pm) and presentations (Sunday 9am-12pm) when escorted by their student.
Venues are locked down by either physical security, or by staff supervising entrances to the event area. In larger venues, the event area may be restricted to a specific area of the building to provide stronger supervision.
Students are supervised throughout the event by trained staff.

Student Check-in/Out

Students are required to check-out when leaving, even temporarily.
Minors are not permitted to leave before the end of the event, except when accompanied by a parent or guardian, or when a parent or guardian sends the student with written permission.
Students who are permitted to leave the event are given a special high-security wristband which makes it easy for our staff to identify them.