In 2024, the National Competition “Learn to Program with Alice” celebrates 10 successful years of promoting inspiration, creativity and digital education. This year, the theme “Educational Apps for Kids with Special Educational Needs” attracted more than 400 students from all over the country, and the results were outstanding.
The competition aims to combine technology and creativity in an educational way, and the results were remarkable: students demonstrated a deep understanding of Java programming, using the Alice platform to create interactive games and stories that support the education of children with special educational needs.
What makes this competition unique?
Each year, the National Competition "Learn to Program with Alice," sponsored by Oracle Academy, offers students from across the country, grades 5-12, the perfect opportunity to take their first steps in the Java programming language.
This year’s competition saw both experienced participants, who already know the basics of Java programming and impress the jury year after year, as well as students who have just discovered this opportunity and turned the time they spend at home, in front of the computer, into a learning experience.
The jury of the competition carefully analyzed each submitted project, taking into account the respect of the theme, the effort put in, the complexity of the projects and the creativity.
Vlad Jorascu, a member of the jury, stated:
"It's always a joy to be able to judge high school and middle school students' projects. Their creativity and technical skills produce impressive results. By developing these projects, they improve their knowledge and programming skills in an organic and enjoyable way. Through the competition, the children are tapping into their passion for video games and animation, resulting in well-crafted and value-generating applications."
Damian Monea, a member of the jury, stated:
“My involvement as a judge of the ”Learn to program with Alice" contest was a pleasure. I had the opportunity to observe how the teams approached a very interesting topic and how they managed to implement some educational games, using only their own knowledge and the Alice3 program.
Personally, I was surprised by the high quality of the projects, especially being a former competitor of this competition and I congratulate the competitors for their involvement and for the projects they implemented.”
Following the judging, 3 projects in the high school category and 3 projects in the middle school category were selected as winners, which are presented below.
Winners Learn to program with Alice from 2024, high school category
🏅 3rd Place – Team The Datoriile
The project "Primii metri" is created by students Ciocîrlie Alin-Cristian and Grigoraș Luca Cristian, from "Mihai Eminescu" National College in Satu Mare, under the guidance of teacher Vida Felicia Maria.
🏅 2nd Place – Team The Cranberries
The project "Labirintul muzicii" is created by students Lupușor Anastasia and Kosa Melissa Monica, from "Mihai Eminescu" National College in Satu Mare, under the guidance of teacher Vida Felicia Maria.
🏅 1st Place – Team Mind Chemists
The project "Pădurea Memoriei" is created by students Narița Luca Ioan and Moroz Cristian-Andrei, from "Mihai Eminescu" National College in Satu Mare, under the guidance of teacher Vida Felicia Maria.
Winners Learn to program with Alice from 2024, middle school category
🏅 3rd Place – Team Bright Stars
The project „Universul Emotiilor" is created by students Botezatu Daniela and Dorobantoiu Rares, from Alexandru Davila Secondary School, Pitesti, Argeș, under the guidance of teacher Dijmarescu Cristina.
🏅 2nd Place – Team Coresi Team
The project „Ne distrăm și învățăm" is created by the students Ungureanu Herman Andrei Herman and Cristescu Bogdan-Constantin, from Coresi Secondary School, Targoviste, Dâmbovița, under the guidance of Prof. Floroiu Daniela.
🏅 1st Place - Team The Guardians
The project „Tărâmul lui Prim" is created by the students Turcu Răzvan Cristian and Chirosca Edgar, from Alexandru Davila Secondary School, Pitești, Argeș, under the guidance of teacher Dijmarescu Cristina.
The Winners' Stories
The winning teams talk about their experience of the competition and the creative process behind their projects in the video below:
The "Learn to Program with Alice" competition continues to encourage students to develop their programming skills through creative and fun projects. By using Alice programming concepts, students passionate about computer science learn the basics of Java programming in a fun and interactive way. Their projects not only enhance their technical skills but also their ability to collaborate and empathize with the needs of the community.
See you next year
We thank Oracle Academy, the sponsor of the competition, for their support in promoting digital education in Romania by offering free programming courses that helped students learn the basics of the Java language and create innovative projects using the Alice platform.
Congratulations to all participants for their creativity and hard work! We look forward to welcoming you to next year’s edition!
About Adfaber, the competition's organizer
ADFABER.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the digital skills of students and teachers in public schools. Every year, they organize initiatives that promote the integration of technology into the educational process, playing a significant role in shaping the future IT talents.
About Oracle Academy, the competition's sponsor
Oracle's educational branch, called Oracle Academy, aims to foster the growth of technological education and make it accessible to students worldwide by providing them with information, innovation, skill enhancement, and exposure to a variety of tech fields. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive portfolio of software, curriculum, hosted technology, training courses, support, and certification resources for educational institutions in 110 countries.