Tech job openings spark interest in US high school computer science courses

Students at Rockhurst High School prepare Raspberry Pi computers in class. The private high school started requiring freshmen to take computer science last year. (Allison Kite/Kansas City Star/TNS)

KANSAS CITY, Missouri: With two years left at Rockhurst High School, sophomore Tanner Helton is building websites for pay, and his Advanced Placement computer science class is starting an “Internet of Things” project. 

Rockhurst last year began requiring freshmen to take computer science. Helton said he thought it was important for young people to have tech skills, and he appreciated the way the internet connects the globe.