This course emphasizes the discipline of computer science, focusing on techiques and strategies to use the computer as a problem-solving tool. Students will learn how to break problems down into smaller parts, craft careful solutions, and turn those solutions into working computer programs. The course assumes no prior programming experience or technical knowledge.

This course uses several different languages and approaches to teach problem-solving using a computer. The course is broken up into trimesters to give students the ability to join or leave the course as their schedule allows. Students who sucessfully complete one or more trimesters have the skills to move on to our advance-placement course. This course exposes students to the basics of computer programing: variables, control structures, stepwise refinement, testing, and debugging.

Introduction to computer science is an honors-level course requiring solid interest and effort. Students in the course should expect to spend at least one hour per class meeting on homework. We place major emphasis on principled programming; students earn more credit for careful and thorough work.

The course covers programming in Processing and LEGO MINDSTORMS (using leJOS), allowing students to use different approaches to learn about the core principles of computer science.