Thirty high school computer science students recently competed in Lamar University’s ACM High School Programming Contest. The contest, hosted by First Year Success and Lamar Chapter of Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) on Feb. 24, is part of First Year Success’s College Readiness pilot program.

First Year Success (FYS) is supported by Texas State University System Chancellor’s Faculty Fellowship-Student Success and seeks to effectively integrate college readiness, academic success, and academic engagement to tackle the challenges students face in the first year of their college experience. Professor Jane Liu and Assistant Professor Jing Zhang organized the contest, held at the Department of Computer Science on the LU campus.

Thirty high school students and five teachers, Rena Danna, Keeley Fairchild, Teresa Iles, Terry Morris, and Ricky Ryan, from Bridge City, Lumberton, Little Cypress-Mauriceville and Sabine Pass High Schools.

Students competed in both individual writing and team programming in the morning. After the competition, the students and teachers had lunch with LU computer science students and faculty at the Brooks-Shivers Dining Hall and then visited the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center, Mary and John Gray Library, and Campbell Hall through a campus tour led by undergraduates Bayleigh Smith and Terrance Sexton from the LU admissions office. 

In the afternoon award ceremony, participants heard from Computer Science Department Chair Stefan Andrei and Lamar ACM faculty advisor Jing Zhang, learning about the program as well as computing technology.

Thirteen Lamar University computer science undergraduates (Lamar ACM student members) and two graduate students leading the contest were Madison Boudreaux, John Comeaux, David Espinosa, Diego Fernandez, Ethan Hall, Ethan Scroggs, Jamie McAndrew, Jesse Wright, Justin Dupuis, Justin Strong, Markus Schultz, Thomas King, Thomas Norris, Kun-Yi Lin, and Fei Gao. 

Individual Written Contest Awards in Beginner Group were awarded to: 1^st Kirk Blood, Sabine Pass, first place; Chandler Barr, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, second; Jacob Zumwalkt, Sabine Pass, third; Noah Escareno, Sabine Pass, fourth; Landon Acord, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, fifth; Gavin Robertson, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, sixth; Jace Peveto, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, seventh; Justin Ferguson, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, eighth; Colby Mendoza, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, ninth; and Spencer Layman, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, tenth.

Individual Written Contest awards in advanced group: Nick Mugleston, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, first place; Dajhaun Myles, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, second; Derric Martin, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, third; Sukhjot Singh, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, fourth; Tyler Comeaux, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, fifth; Lucas Russell, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, sixth; Lovejot Singh, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, seventh; Dilon Deemer, Lumberton, eighth; Skyler Bohn, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, ninth; and Kalan Bonnette, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, tenth.

Team Programming Contest awards in beginner group: Kirk Blood, Noah Escareno, and Jacob Zumwalkt, Sabine Pass, first place; Spencer Layman, Chandler Barr, and Elizabeth Johns, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, second; Colby Mendoza, Dustyn Parker, and Landon Acord, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, third; Gavin Robertson, Jace Peveto, and Jacob King, Lumberton, fourth; George Lambing, Jonathan Roy, and Justin Ferguson, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, fifth; and Caleb Weaver, McKenzie Guillory, and Matthew Brown, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, sixth.

Team Programming Contest awards in advanced group: Dajhaun Myles, Nick Mugleston, and Derric Martin, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, first place; Sukhjot Singh, Tyler Comeaux, and Skyler Bohn, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, second; Lovejot Singh, Lucas Russell, and Brandon Garrison, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, third; and Seth Sartin, Kalan, Bonnette, and Dilon Deemer, Lumberton, fourth.