WHEREAS, every corner of the Commonwealth is connected through the power of computer science, one of Virginia’s highest growth industry sectors and a backbone of Virginia’s economy; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is proud of its legacy as the first state in the nation to adopt computer science, computational thinking, and coding as essential literacies for all students; and

WHEREAS, to build a workforce equipped to support our Commonwealth, we must prepare citizens for the needs of an increasingly diverse business climate by providing them the skills and credentials that are needed in a high demand technology business; and

WHEREAS, National Computer Science Education Week began in 2009 as an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, promote computer science education, and celebrate the contributors to the field; and

WHEREAS, Computer Science Education Week in Virginia is celebrating 10 years and will again kick off the Virginia Department of Education and CodeVA “CyberStart America” challenge for high school students to demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and interest in computer science and cybersecurity; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education has supported the integration of computer science into the K-8 core disciplines and expanded computer science pathways for secondary students, underscoring the inherent significance of computer science education; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education, in partnership with the Computer Science Education Advisory Board, is engaged in the review and revision of the existing computer science standards with the goal of approval of new Standards of Learning in Computer Science during the spring of 2024, aiming to uphold standards of excellence, rigor, and relevance; and

WHEREAS, Computer Science Education Week officially starts the nomination window for the 2023-2024 Computer Science Educator of the Year (CSEOY) award, when parents, students, and educators can nominate educators across the Commonwealth for their contribution and commitment to computer science education; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia recognizes the regional partnerships, expanded work-based learning, post-secondary and secondary partnerships to expand professional development, high-quality instructional resources, and project-based learning opportunities for educators and students across the Commonwealth through the Advancing Computer Science Education grant; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has developed Lab Schools to harness partnerships with industry, higher education, and K-12 with some models aimed at increasing exposure and experience in applied computer science outside of school walls; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia is committed to computer science education by providing all Virginia students meaningful access to opportunities in computer science; and, students, classrooms, and schools are encouraged to celebrate Computer Science Education Week by coming together to explore career pathways in computer science-related fields;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize December 4-10, 2023, as COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.