CCCS Columbia College Computer Science

CCCS High School Programming Contest #9
March 13, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENT
The CCCS HS Programming Contest #10 will be held on March 14, 2026! Details and registration form will be available in mid October (possibly earlier).

Currently we are working on finding financial support for food, prizes, and scholarships. We are also working on an early check-in option for HS students to check in on Friday before the contest to attend contest preparation meetings, CS classes, CS events, etc.

To high school students: Please email Dr. Liow (yliow@ccis.edu) to be added to our mailing list for updates. Include your name and the name your high school. Also, please ask your teachers to email us so that we can send our contest information to them.

The HS Programming Contest #9 (Spring 2025) has ended! I hope all the HS students had a great time. Information on contest #10 will be available soon. Stay tuned.

Thanks to all the attendees both HS students and parents. Hope you all have a great time. Also, the event would not be possible without the counselors, CS majors Ben Kelly, Cole Schwandt, Eric Schultz, Grant Clark, Mark Noble, Nasser Alahaideb, Robert Oladayo Oyedeji. The event was funded by Columbia College (food, 3x$1k tuition scholarship, $500) and Nathaniel Graham ($300).

For spring 2026, we will get in touch with as many high school as we can. You can help by letting us know who else we should contact (example: CS instructors and your friends).

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What is it?

A day of programming activities, programming contest (in a team of at most 3 members), games and activities, meeting with CS majors from Columbia College, etc. In short: a day of fun for people who are interested in or wanting to find out more about CS. At this point, the programming language used is C++, Python, and Java. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks provided! And there will be prizes!

Who is this for?

High school students with knowledge of C++, Python, and/or Java.
There is a limited number of laptops and PCs. We highly recommend that you bring your own laptops.

When is this?

March 15, 2025, 9AM-5PM. The actual contest begins after lunch (see schedule below). So it's OK to check in late especially if you live > 1 hour from Columbia, MO.

What is the location?

Columbia College at Columbia, MO (Address: 1001 Rogers Street, Columbia, MO 65216)
Parking: The 10th Street parking lot is the most convenient. But you can use any non-residential parking lot.
- pdf map: look for "A. 10th Street".
- or interactive map: under "Parking Lots", look for "Tenth Street Lot".
Contest venue: Buchanan Hall.
- pdf map: look for "16. Buchanan Hall".
- or interactive map: under "Buildings", look for "Buchanan Hall".

What’s the schedule?

The event begins at 9AM. The contest itself begins after lunch. If you are driving from far and will be late, please let us know.

8AM-9AM: CHECK-IN, BREAKFAST, OPENING -- BUCHANAN HALL (ROOM 103)

Panera breakfast provided. (Drinks and snacks provided throughout the day.)
Opening remarks at ~8:45AM

9AM-10:50AM: WARMUPS -- BUCHANAN HALL
11AM-11:50PM: BREAK -- ATKINS-HOLMAN STUDENT COMMONS
12PM-12:40PM: LUNCH -- DULANY HALL (LEE ROOM)

Lunch provided at Dulany Hall
Talk and Q&A with Google software engineer, Saurav Bhattarai (Google, graduate of CCCS 2022)

12:45-4PM: CONTEST -- BUCHANAN HALL
4PM-5PM: DINNER, CLOSING -- BUCHANAN HALL

Prize presentation
Closing remarks
Domino's pizzas provided.

Are there prizes?

Yes! There will be tuition scholarship prizes and cash prizes.

Are there contest rules?

Here you go: contest rules page.

Where do I register?

Here’s the registration form.

I’m registered! Now what?

Head over to the attendees page for details!

Who are the organizers?

Dr Yihsiang Liow (Columbia College, yliow@ccis.edu)
Mr Nathaniel Graham (Columbia Area Career Center, chgraham@cpsk12.org)
Computer Science Club (Columbia College)

Who should I talk to? … I have questions

Please email any one of us:

Ben Kelly, President of CS club (bckelly1@cougars.ccis.edu)

Cole Schwandt, VP of CS club (ctschwandt1@cougars.ccis.edu)

Ryan Harvey, Secretary of CS club (rsharvey@cougars.ccis.edu)

Dr Liow (yliow@ccis.edu)

FAQ

Q: What is the deadline for registration?
A: We’ll accommodate late registrants as much as we can. So go ahead and register!

Q: I can't find 2 other teammates from my school. Can I still participate?
A: Sure. You can be a team of 1. A team of 2 is fine too. On the day of the event, you can also form a team with students from another high school!

Q: Do I need a teacher's permission/approval? Do I need a teacher to be the team coach?
A: You (and your teammates) can register individually. You do not need a teacher to register the team. Of course if you have a teacher as a team coach, he/she is welcome to attend the event too!

FYI

Contest #9 (3/13/2025)
- Number of high school students, parents: 21, 10
- Cities/towns of attendees (sorted):
  - California, MO
  - Columbia, MO
  - Fenton, MO
  - Knob Noster, MO
  - Olathe, KS
  - Wildwood, MO
- High schools (sorted):
  - California R-1 High School
  - Hickman High School
  - Homeschool
  - Knob Noster High School
  - Lafayette High School
  - Lindbergh High School
  - Muriel Williams Battle High School
  - Olathe Northwest High School
  - Rock Bridge High School
- Results (sorted):
  - Advanced
  - Intermediate
- Counselors (CCCS majors): Ben Kelly, Cole Schwandt, Eric Schultz, Grant Clark, Mark Noble, Nasser Alahaideb, Robert Oladayo Oyedeji
- Sponsors:
  - College College (space, food, 3x$1000 tuition scholarship, $500 for prizes)
  - Nathaniel Graham ($300 for prizes)