As computer sciences become not only more and more popular but necessary to today’s technological needs, McClain High School has not been on the sidelines, but making sure there are courses available to students that can help them prepare for their future after high school.

The high school has recently been recognized by the AP Central College Board with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award acknowledging the school’s part part in female participation in its computer sciences.

According to the AP Central website, the purpose of the award is to honor schools for “expanding young women’s access to AP computer science classes and for the important steps they’re taking to improve gender representation” in computer sciences.

While gender gaps have been apparent through the years regarding computer sciences, that is likely less the doing of schools and more the product of societal perceptions. That statement is something McClain’s computer sciences teacher Nathan Luke agreed with.

He said essentially since computer science has been a thing, a common perception has been that those becoming computer scientists tended to be those “nerdy guys” we all think of when the term computer science is spoken about. But this is something that Luke said “could’nt be farther from the truth.”

“Many computer science majors and careers belong to everyday people who have been good in sports, may have been in FFA, or even come from non-traditional educational backgrounds,” Luke said. “The big issue is that those people usually aren’t female, and when half the population is disproportionately not representing their ways of thinking or solving problems, that can lead to an implicit bias for many females who may not enter the field of CS, even if they find it fascinating and are more than capable of solving the many problems of today.”

But time is changing those perceptions, he said, as is the availability of different computer sciences in classrooms across the globe. Over the years, computer sciences have expanded at MHS, which includes not only classroom courses, but also things like a robotics club, and now the development of a drone club for the coming school year.

Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the Greenfield School District.