mhb@src.dec.com (Marc H. Brown) (10/25/90)
The American Computer Science League (ACSL) administers computer science contests for middle, junior, and senior high school students, publishes a newsletter containing the results of each contest, and awards prizes to outstanding students and schools at local and regional levels. Last year, the 12th year of operation, nearly 500 schools - primarily in the US and Canada - participated, and 12 Macs were awarded as top prizes. Contests are held at each participating school, with an unlimited number of students from all grade levels eligible to compete. A school's score is the sum of the scores of its five highest-scoring students. In each contest, students are given short theoretical and applied questions, and then a programming problem to solve within the following three days, testing it on the League's data. The school's sponsor returns the contest results to ACSL for tabulation. At the end of the year, an Invitational Team All-Star Contest is held. This year's will be in Houston at the end of May '91. ACSL provides an exciting educational opportunity. Contest problems motivate students to study computer topics not covered in their school's curriculum and to pursue classroom topics in depth. At many schools, the League is the focal point both for extracurricular clubs and for entire courses. ACSL is happy to send you (and/or your child's school) a flyer with more information, including sample problems, a registration form, and phone numbers of teachers that can provide first-hand information. ACSL is a non-profit organization located at Box 40118 Providence, RI 02940 (401) 331-ACSL Email to me will get you a flyer with less effort, though. :-) Marc H. Brown, ACSL Steering Committee