Girls learn programming in Java and various coding skills, including data types, iteration, conditionals, and arrays, in Laura Rangarajan's AP Computer Science class.
1/1
Hutchison Earns College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
This marks the fourth year in a row that Hutchison has received the award for expanding young women's access to AP Computer Science and working toward equal gender representation.
Hutchison is one of a select group of schools worldwide to be recognized by the College Board for work toward equal gender representation and expansion of girls' access to AP Computer Science courses during the 2020-2021 school year.
Our upper school offers AP Computer Science A and will begin to offer AP Computer Science Principles in the 2022-2023 school year. Laura Rangarajan said at its core, her class is about solving problems and manipulating data. As part of her curriculum, girls learn programming in Java and various coding skills, including data types, iteration, conditionals, and arrays.
With practice and patience, Rangarajan’s girls learn to succeed by learning from their mistakes. She enjoys watching her students grow as they work together to solve any problems that arise.
“They learn how to fail and keep trying because when you get a bug in your program, it often leads to another bug. They have to keep persevering through all of those different problems in their code,” Rangarajan said.
Rangarajan hopes her class inspires more girls to consider computer science careers. Research shows women are more likely to pursue computer science if they are given the opportunity to explore it in high school. Even if her girls do not pursue a career in computer science, Rangarajan said the skills they learn in her class can carry over to a lot of other parts of her students’ lives.
“It’s important that girls start early to see if it’s something they are interested in and realize they can do it,” Rangarajan said.
Way before Hutchison girls get to upper school, faculty and staff introduce them to coding in lower school and middle school through various activities, from the Innovation Lab to participating in Computer Science Education Week. Our goal is to challenge our girls to pursue STEM careers and provide the resources and skills to break into often male-dominated industries.
Rising juniors who are part of four myExperience cohorts in Hutchison’s Institute for Responsible Citizenship – global civic engagement, entrepreneurship, STEM, and art and design – explored their respective fields of study on a trip to Miami.
Little Hive teachers Ms. Hollingsworth and Ms. Aguilar followed our youngest girls’ interest in the weather to expand their scientific knowledge and various skills, from creativity to storytelling to fine motor skills.
For her senior myExperience project, Haley Floyd ’25 combined her love of animals with a deep concern for the mental health of young women. Haley launched Pause for Paws, an initiative that brought therapy dogs to campus to offer comfort and connection. She received a 10<20 Youth Impact Award from “Memphis Parent” magazine for her work.
In these student-led R.E.A.L. discussions, our fourth graders sharpen their conversation skills while learning to support their ideas with evidence and think critically.
Through years of theatre, dance, music, and leadership in the arts, Chloe Simpson ’25 found confidence, community, and her voice. From the stage to the classroom, she embraced every opportunity to grow as a performer, student, and civic thinker.
Maggie’s interest in environmental science and forestry has grown through hands-on learning, inspiring mentors, and community involvement. After 15 years at Hutchison, she’s ready to turn her curiosity and love for learning into real-world impact.
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Mallory Mullis '18, Manager of Leadership Programs at the Dallas Regional Chamber.
Hutchison world language students participated in the 2025 U of M Language Fair, sponsored by The University of Memphis Department of World Languages and Literatures. Demonstrating their knowledge of Spanish and Chinese, Hutchison had nine upper school girls win awards at the fair.