At the start of the pandemic, Sarah Gallah, a Toronto-based high school educator and 2021 National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, was fortunate enough to secure a COVID-19 education grant from the National Geographic Society. By acquiring this grant, she was able to tackle a new challenge – teaching herself how to code Python, and creating a virtual program for high school students called, “Coding for Climate Change”, which she then piloted in an afterschool virtual club with her own students.

In doing so, she wanted to encourage students to become environmental stewards, while also opening the playing field for students of all backgrounds and comfort levels to learn how to code. She wanted to demonstrate that coding is for everyone, including their teacher who is learning alongside them. In this article, featured in a University of Toronto news story, Sarah discusses her teacher fellowship as well as this exciting resource.