FLEX STEM HeadStart

FLEX STEM HeadStart offers students long-term academic headstarts for middle and high school students who are serious about Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics. Our approach is not only to provide students with high-level instruction but also to help them apply their learning through publications, clubs, competitions, and activities.

Intro to Scratch Programming (Video Class)

Registration Closed Tuition: $299.00

Topics Covered

  • how to use the Scratch platform.
  • how to fit pieces of code together.
  • how to change the position and direction of objects.
  • how to display text and numbers.
  • how to detect objects and colors.
  • what a loop is.
  • what a condition is.
  • what costumes, sprites, and backdrops are.

Students who are new to programming will learn how to navigate Scratch and how to use various blocks to create simple programs. These programs focus on movement, rotation, basic math skills, repetition, and the fundamentals of computer science logic. Students will memorize how to code simple functions and develop good programming habits.

Intermediate Scratch Programming (Video Class)

Registration Closed Tuition: $299.00

Topics Covered

  • the syntax for printing different types of information values.
  • how to create variables and store values.
  • how to get inputs from the keyboard and mouse.
  • how to code math functions.
  • how to use logic operators.
  • how to use specialty math functions.

Students will master basic programming concepts and apply their understanding of blocks to solve simple math functions. Students will develop organizational skills by working with different types of information simultaneously and finding solutions to complex tasks. Students will start to critically think about the best way to code a program and be able to explain why certain methods or solutions are favorable.

Advanced Scratch Programming (Video Class)

Registration Closed Tuition: $299.00

Topics Covered

  • how to order and time different pieces of code.
  • how to store many different types of values in the same place.
  • how to create their own custom functions.
  • how to represent real-world physics.
  • how to duplicate objects.
  • basic game design concepts.
  • how to create simulations and data models.
  • the process behind debugging logic and syntax errors.

Students will learn to interpret higher level programming concepts that focus on efficiency and readability. Students will learn to work independently on complex, multi-stage projects that replicate real-world scenarios. Students will learn to identify challenges, create custom solutions, and evaluate errors in their programs.

STEM HeadStart Team

Philip Vuong: FLEX Math Guru

  • 10+ years teaching experience
  • Stanford University

Jung Suh: FLEX Master Instructor

  • 10+ years teaching experience
  • UC Irvine
  • Claremont

Brian Fan: FLEX Coding Guru

  • Former iD Tech Coding Camp Director
  • Emory University