The Harker Programming Club is hosting a programming competition March 19 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the upper school campus.

“While searching for more competition opportunities for the club, we were disappointed by the scarcity of local tournaments and thus decided to hold one of our own,” said Christine Chien, grade 12, club spokesperson. “In the long run, hopefully, our contest will help programmers at other schools pursue their interests and encourage schools that do not have a computer science program to start one.”

The event will be held in Nichols Hall, Harker’s new science and technology building, and registration and lunch are both free. Details of the actual competition and how to register are online.

Chien noted the contest will prepare students for the AP Computer Science exam as well as the Stanford ProCo Contest since problems have been written by the ProCo team. Accepted languages are Java, C++, C and Python, and each team must bring a laptop with Wi-Fi capability. Teams of up to three students will compete in a two-and-a-half hour round to score as many points possible by submitting problems online. Prizes will be awarded to non-Harker teams!

All teams must be chaperoned, so each school must bring a teacher or parent. Chaperones will have access to a lounge area with outlets, Wi-Fi, and of course, coffee.

Schedule: Registration check-in 9-10 a.m.; Contest 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; Lunch 12:30–1:30 p.m.; Keynote speaker 1:30-2:30 p.m.; Awards 2:30–3 p.m.. For more information, contact the Harker Programming Club at harkerprogramming@gmail.com.