Programming project “CodeStars” supported by EU Code Week grant program in Latvia

Riga State Classical Gymnasium’s project "CodeStars" supported students to stimulate their interest in programming and develop algorithmic thinking and creative skills through the Scratch programming environment. This was one of the activities supported by the EU Code Week grant program in Latvia. In total, 640 young people participated in the project activities, of whom 323 were girls.

Main tasks of the project

• Promote the development of STEM programmes in education
• Promote students' interest in programming, develop algorithmic thinking and creative skills using the Scratch programming environment
• Increase the number of girls involved in programming

Age groups and tasks performed

• For students in grades 5–6, the task was related to the movement of images, simple algorithms, and the creation of a story
• For students in grades 7–8, the exercise involved more complex algorithmics, and variable and varied events, such as games or simulation

Students had to use only the tools offered by the Scratch platform, without additional use of external resources or ready-made programming code from the Internet.

Various project-related activities were implemented in computer science lessons during EU Code Week 2025. On the last day, a coding lesson took place, after which the students with the highest performance indicators (maximum scores) were awarded. 

The CodeStars project activities involved not only students, but also their parents and educators and the local community, especially promoting girls' interest in STEAM. In the awards, the highest-performing participants received tablets, headphones, speakers, flash drives and other useful tools for daily learning.

The project was organized and tasks were developed by the deputy director of Riga State Classical Gymnasium in the field of education, IT training coordinator, education technology mentor, methodologist of Riga Education and Informative Methodological Centre Oksana Ivanova, as well as a team of IT teachers: Ginta Perepjolkina, Alla Kremer and Olga Kirillova.

#Code4Europe #EUCodeWeek

The activities of the Code4Europe project are funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), project No. 101158834 — Code4Europe. In Latvia, the Code4Europe project is implemented by the Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association.