Inter-school Compuskills Championship

Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabh School, Pune conducts an Inter-school Compuskills Championship every year. This competition tests students' computational thinking and programming skills, using Scratch as a tool.

At Walnut School, computational thinking is introduced right from Std. 1. This is not just a subject — it's actually a core skill for tomorrow (and even part of the National Education Policy 2020).Read more about the amazing benefits of computational thinking HERE.

Walnut School teams have been winning in this competition since its inception, and we don't want to lose the winning streak 🙂! Check last year's brilliant winners HERE.

Here's an overview, to get all our young programmers wired to participate :

CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION

• Students from Std. 5 to 10 are eligible to participate in this competition.
• The competition is conducted in two categories :
  Junior Category : Std. 5 to 7
  Senior Category : Std. 8 to 10
• The competition requires students to participate in teams of two, so make sure your child teams up! If you can't find a partner, let us know. We will hook up the solos together.
• The pair of students must be of the same category (Junior / Senior). Standards, divisions, genders can all be mixed up — no problem!

TRAINING FOR THE COMPETITION

• CLICK HERE to read about how Walnut School trains its students to use Scratch programming and confidently compete against schools from all over India.
• We highly recommend heading over to scratch.mit.edu to explore! It's a treasure trove of training resources and showcases amazing sample projects created by students worldwide. It's the perfect place to kickstart their Scratch journey!
• Our visionary director — Mr. Nikhil Karkare — played a crucial role in shaping this competition, and actively works with our participating students to groom them for this Championship. The teams who make it to the final round have a practice viva session with him to prepare!

ONLINE QUERY PORTAL FOR REGISTERED STUDENTS

• Our Computer teachers conduct an online query session for all the students who register. This query resolution session is usually conducted before the submission of the projects is due.
• The teachers guide the participants for the viva round as well.

So let's get our children experimenting with Scratch, teaming up, strategising and preparing to bring home the winning trophy! As you can see, it's more than just a competition — it's an adventure in learning and innovation.

GYAAN 😃
Here is why we think encouraging your child to dabble in Scratch is such an excellent idea, beyond just winning competitions:

• Boosts Logical Thinking: Scratch helps children break down big problems into smaller, manageable steps. This visual programming sharpens their logical reasoning and sequential thinking — skills crucial in every area of life!
• No Syntax Barriers, Pure Creativity: Unlike traditional coding that can be bogged down by complex syntax, Scratch uses a simple drag-and-drop block interface. This means students can focus entirely on what they want to create and how to make it happen, without getting frustrated by tricky code rules. It's pure, unadulterated creative expression!
• Develops Powerful Problem-Solving Skills: When a program doesn't work as expected, kids learn to identify the issue, test solutions and debug their code. This iterative process of trying, failing and figuring it out is the essence of problem-solving — and that, we think, is a superpower for life!
• Sharpens the Brain: If your child loves being on computers, guiding them towards Scratch is like giving their brain an incredible workout! It's an excellent way to sharpen their thinking abilities, enhance their focus and build analytical skills in a fun, engaging environment. This is the screen time that is actually awesome for them.