Ages 13+

Interactive Futures takes teens deeper into the world of systems and interaction design. This is the term where they learn Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) — abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism — the same principles that professional developers use to manage complexity. They also bring characters to life through animation, exploring how movement, states, and interactions transform static designs into living systems. But this isn’t only about technical skill. Students also practice inclusive design by embedding accessibility features, learning that great technology works for everyone. They experiment with version control, collaboration, and debugging — habits that mirror real-world workflows. By the end of Winter, your teen will have built a multi-room interactive game, complete with animated characters and accessibility options, showing them that their ideas can move, respond, and connect.

Future Prototypes is about integration — combining all the skills of the year into a first polished demo. Students learn how digital assets, coding structures, and user experience come together in a professional pipeline. They import their work into a real engine, use C# scripting to code interactions, and take their first step into AI by building a simple predictive model. The emphasis is on prototyping, learning how to transform an idea into something testable, shareable, and future-ready. Teens also document their process, create trailers, and explain their decisions, developing communication and presentation skills alongside technical expertise. By the end of Spring, they will have produced an integrated Unity demo and an AI experiment that demonstrates their readiness to enter specialization streams. This isn’t just a class project; it’s the first time they’ll feel like developers and innovators preparing for real careers.