CSTA-MN December Newsletter
Kate Lockwood
CSTA-MN Newsletter: December 2025
🚀 Welcome from CSTA-MN!
Hello CSTA-MN Members and Friends!
Happy CS Ed Week and almost winter break! In this issue, we recap our November meeting and highlight some upcoming opportunities in the New Year.
We had a great November meeting, highlighting opportunities for CSTA-MN members to present and publish their ideas! We know the code.org State of CS report doesn’t tell the whole story - there is great computer science education happening in Minnesota - let’s tell everyone about it! Here are the publication opportunities featured in our meeting:
Hello World: THE magazine by and for CS educators. If you are a CSTA national member, a hard copy of Hello World is included with your membership, and content is always available online. Articles are around 800 words, and if you have an idea, you can fill out a proposal form online. An editor will reach out and help you finalize your submission. You can learn more about writing for Hello World by listening to this podcast.
MN+CS is back and will be on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14 in Minneapolis. The call for proposals is open now! Please consider submitting a proposal for a workshop, lab, discussion, or poster session. Submissions are due on December 19. Feel free to reach out to a CSTA-MN board member if you have any questions or want some support with your proposal.
CSTA Voice is the national CSTA digital newsletter. Articles are 500-1500 words and can be on pretty much any CS Ed topic you are passionate about! Everyone is encouraged to reach out and share their experience with other teachers! You can learn more about the submission process at this link.
We also celebrated Native American Heritage Month with resource shares from two local organizations
Relentless Feather is a local nonprofit that provides CS lessons that center Native history, tradition, and values. Each lesson has step-by-step slide decks and student-facing materials that are aligned with local and national standards.
The Northern Lights Collaborative for Computing Education has a number of free Indigenous computer science curricular units available on their resources page.
If you missed the meeting or just want to review some of the conversation, here are the links to the November materials:
📅 Upcoming Chapter Meeting: Author Conversation with
Our next CSTA-MN Chapter Meeting is scheduled for December 10 at 3:45 PM via Google Meet
This month, we’ll be having a conversation about Imposter Syndrome with author Cait Levin. We’ll chat about the book Imposter, the free teacher resources Cait has available on her website, and how we can all support female identifying students in our courses.
In Cait’s book Imposter, high school sophomore Cam feels she must prove herself in her computer science class and on the RoboSub team in this realistic and empowering, witty young adult STEM read. Rachelle worked with the Hennepin County library to get six copies ordered, so you can request one from your local library or independent bookstore (not sure where to find an independent bookstore near you? Check out the top Twin Cities local bookstores or Independent Bookstores in Minnesota)!
Reading the book is not required to participate in the author conversation.
When: Wednesday, December 10, 3:45 PM CST
Agenda Highlights:
Author conversation with Cait Levin, author of Imposter
➡️ Save the Date: Add the meeting to your calendar
Future meeting dates and topics:
January 21, 2026: Learn about semiconductor education and local field trip opportunities for computer science classes.
February 25, 2026: This meeting is all about summer PD opportunities for teachers
💡 Professional Development & Resources
Looking to expand your teaching toolkit or find new resources? Check out these opportunities:
1. Midwest Indigenous CS Heroes Posters
(Download the posters) New resource from Northern Lights Collaborative for Computing Education: There are many talented Indigenous computer scientists who are from or live in Minnesota and the surrounding midwest region. This poster collection includes nine Native leaders who use computer science to express themselves and solve problems in their communities. From making AI resilient to hackers, designing Indigenous data experiences, creating multimedia art installations, to students earning degrees in computer science, these CS Heroes are making a difference. We invite you to download the posters and share them with students and others. Note: CSTA and CSEdWeek have additional posters available as part of their CS Heroes campaign and ways to use them in CS teaching.
2. Computer Science in ActIon
Computer Science in ActIon
Join CSTA-MN and CSforAll-MN virtually on December 17th from 3:30 to 4:30 PM to discover how computer science concepts empower K-12 MN students to understand, create, and innovate with artificial intelligence.
Register here!
https://rpf.io/csinaction
3. Check out the CSTA CSEd week events
CSTA has a week full of online programming spotlighting how computer science fuels the innovations behind artificial intelligence. As AI reshapes our world, a strong CS foundation isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. Join CSTA to discuss equipping the next generation with the computational thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to lead in AI development and create impactful solutions for the future.
What: a week FULL of CSEd week events put on by CSTA
Starts: Monday with CSEd week kickoff!
Events: check out the full lineup here!
4. Cybersecurity Opportunities at Metro State
Metro State has several opportunities related to Cybersecurity.
Click here to learn more about Cyber range field trips for grades 10-12. You can learn more about this opportunity at our January meeting!
Click here to learn about free Cybersecurity risk assessments
5. MN+CS is Back! Get those proposals started!!!
MN+CS is officially back for a second year! This conference, co-sponsored by CSTA-MN and the Raspberry Pi Foundation is a day full of professional development by and for Minnesota CS classroom teachers! Presentation proposals are now open! Apply to share your expertise with your CS teacher colleagues.
Save the date: MN+CS conference March 13-14, 2026
Location: Dunwoody College of Technology
Proposals due: Friday, December 19, 2025
Submit a proposal: Fill out the proposal submission form here
⭐ Member Spotlight: Brittany Heskin
This month, we celebrate Brittany Heskin, Librarian and Media Specialist at the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School.
Brittany uses computer science as a bridge between technology, culture, and identity. Whether she is helping students explore CS through Ojibwe language activities, integrating cultural teachings into robotics and coding, or coaching the Ojibwemowin Quiz Bowl team, Brittany creates learning experiences where students see their culture reflected, honored, and strengthened. Brittany was recently recognized as the 2025 MNTech #Tekne Award for Technology Advocate of the Year!
Brittany is also a leader beyond her school community. Brittany serves as a leader for the national CSTA Indigenous Affinity Group and is a lead for Fond du Lac Ojibwe School's partnership in the NSF K-12 CS Pathways project, helping shape opportunities for CS learning in rural and Tribal Communities in Minnesota.
Thank you, Brittany, for your dedication to uplifting students, culture, and community through computer science!
Want to be featured? Tell us what you're up to! Reply to this email!
📚 Book Corner 🌈
Snow, snow, and more snow! ❄️❄️❄️ Time for sledding, ice skating, snowshoeing, snowfort building, hockey, broomball, and all the outdoor fun MN has to offer. Wait? You’re actually feeling a bit stressed with the holiday season here? Have no fear! Whether you celebrate Solstice or Hannukah, from Christmas to Kwanzaa, we have got you covered here in the Book Corner. Check out the 2025 Holiday Gift Guide: CS Books to find a tome for that hard to buy for nibling or sibling.
Grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage and settle in for some warm reads full of computer science, coding, robots, apps, friendship, persistence, and more!
📣 Stay Connected
Join the conversation and connect with other Minnesota CS educators!
Have newsletter items? Email kloc...@spa.edu
Minnesota CSTA Chapter Advancing computer science education for all students.
Contact Minnesota CSTA Chapter
Mark Nechanicky
This dimension focuses on using context to do and learn mathematics. All students should make sense and persevere in mathematical problem-solving experiences using local contexts of the learning community, within the context of Minnesota and in the contexts of our nation and the global community. The benchmarks noted with the symbols below represent opportunities to utilize the named contexts to teach the mathematics within the benchmark and standard.
$ FINANCIAL LITERACY CONTEXTS: Allow students to make sense of mathematics through the context of money to manage one’sfinancial resources effectively for a lifetime of financial security. The dollar sign ($) represents financial literacy contexts.
# COMPUTER SCIENCE CONTEXTS: Computer science is an independent field of study that focuses on learning how to think computationally and adapting/creating new technology. There are many connections with mathematics and integrating the subjects can deepen student understanding in mathematics and provide more students with access to computer science. The number sign (#) represents computer science contexts.
μ MODELING CONTEXTS: Students apply mathematical problem solving experiences to connect the Standards of MathematicalPractices meriting greater time, resources, innovative energies and focus to deeply explore the content of the benchmark. The mu symbol (μ) represents modeling contexts.
☼REAL WORLD CONTEXTS: Apply mathematical problem-solving experiences to real-world situations in contexts connected to students’ lived experiences, cultural perspectives and traditions. The sun symbol (☼) represents real world contexts.
Mark Nechanicky
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Mark Nechanicky
4th grade teacher
Lakeview Elementary
Class: 507-379-5056
Email: mark.ne...@alschools.org
