Montgomery Can Code Inspires Future Programmers

Eighth grader Noah Tiemann has been fascinated by computers for as long as his family can remember.

His mother, Joy Zucker-Tiemann, recalls him encountering Scratch—a free programming language and online platform designed to introduce children to coding—while he was still in elementary school. Though his parents limited his screen time to one hour a day, his curiosity about programming only grew and he kept asking for more tools to learn.

When Noah was a rising seventh grader, the family discovered Montgomery Can Code, Montgomery College’s free summer coding program for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) middle school students. Eager to continue learning, he enrolled in the program while also taking an MC Python class after a Java course he hoped to join had already filled.

Now having returned for his second summer in Montgomery Can Code, Noah has continued developing programming skills while gaining something equally valuable—confidence in his future.

“Being on a college campus gave Noah a chance to explore where he could go,” Zucker-Tiemann said. “He could see himself on a college campus. For someone like Noah, experiencing something firsthand is critical.”

This summer, Noah designed a prototype mobile app for a small furniture business. The app would help shoppers compare products using simple ratings for features such as comfort, durability and ease of cleaning, making it easier for customers to choose furniture that best fits their needs.

“It was very fun to imagine all the possibilities,” Noah reflected.

Just wrapping up its eighth year, Montgomery Can Code has introduced nearly 6,000 middle school students to coding through free, hands-on summer experiences. The program is offered with support from Apple through its Swift coding curriculum.

“The primary goal is to make sure middle school students have an opportunity to be introduced to STEM and coding in a fun, out-of-school experience,” explained Kimberly Bloch Rincan, program manager of the College’s IgnITe Hub, which oversees Montgomery Can Code. “These students are the next generation of leaders in a variety of industries, and we want to make sure they're able to explore what's available to them as they move through high school, college and beyond. If it starts here—'I remember that really cool summer program where I built an app'—that can turn into so many different opportunities.”

For Zucker-Tiemann, one of the program’s greatest strengths is that it teaches students how to think like programmers with a broad skillset, rather than focusing solely on one programming language.

“They're learning foundational elements they can take anywhere,” she said. “This is about giving students the fundamentals they need to make informed decisions about where they want to go next.”

She also appreciates how the program removes financial barriers while exposing students to a college environment.

“As a parent, having the opportunity to get him into something that didn’t create an additional financial burden, but truly sold him on the idea that ‘you can do this,’ was monumental.”

This experience has reinforced Noah’s passion for technology while giving him the opportunity to discover his interests early and explore them in an environment that encourages creativity and problem-solving.

“There's nothing like practical experience to know if this is really what you want to do long term,” Zucker-Tiemann said. “You have to be in it. You have to love it as you’re in it.”