High School Programming Contest Marks 20th Year at U of A

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) hosted its 20th annual High School Programming Contest on March 7. This event brought together student teams from across the state to the U of A for a day of competitive coding. 

This year's contest included 58 students from 10 schools across Arkansas, along with 12 coaches, 21 staff members and judges, and 20 volunteers who helped organize and run the event. 

The contest challenged students to solve original programming problems under time pressure while working together as teams. The annual event has become a long-standing tradition for the department. It provides high school students with an opportunity to strengthen their programming skills while experiencing a collegiate competition environment. 

Kevin Jin, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and one of the organizers of the contest, said the event also plays an important role: "The goal of HSPC is to inspire and strengthen high school students' programming and coding skills while reinforcing the EECS department's outreach, recruitment pipeline and leadership in STEM education across the state," Jin said. 

Unique Challenges 

Students from Fayetteville High School, whose team won this year's contest, said the competition stood out because of its collaborative nature and in-person setting. 

"We just wanted to challenge ourselves with our programming knowledge," said team member Arissa Cholthitchanta. "We really like solving problems related to computer science and programming. And we felt like this was a fun opportunity to not only win prizes but also to be in that zone of stress to be able to solve problems under that kind of pressure." 

Charles Motherwell, another team member, said, "My favorite part was ... a lot of competitions are held virtually nowadays, so being onsite at this higher education institution was really neat to be in that environment." 

Diego Romero said the team aspect of the contest was especially valuable: "Getting to bounce ideas off of each other, I think, is really beneficial for coding in general. So, I think that being in an environment where you can do that is really cool." 

Cholthitchanta said hearing different perspectives helped teams work through problems more effectively. "Being able to see our different angles and perspectives, it was like, 'oh, he came up with something that I never would have thought of,'" Cholthitchanta said. "And that's a moment that I feel is really important if you want to actually do well in these kinds of contests, like being able to have a diverse array of opinions and views." 

Students also said the contest offered a different challenge from many other programming competitions. "I just think the problems here at UARK are very unique," Cholthitchanta said. "It feels like the problems were really well-constructed. And I just feel like they were also just really not only creative but also challenging for you." 

Jin said that the difference is intentional. "Our contest is uniquely challenging because we design original problems that emphasize algorithmic thinking and real problem-solving depth, rather than just speed or memorized patterns." 

Emery Faulkner, programming club teacher and coach for Fayetteville High School, said competitions like this allow students to apply their skills beyond the classroom. 

"I've been doing this for many years, and I'm proud of my kids whether they win or not," Faulkner said. "I'm very proud of this team. They put their heart into it, and every year, my kids put their heart into it, whether they win or not." 

Faulkner said the competition also gives students an opportunity to experience college life and connect with other students interested in programming. "It really helps our kids get a handle on coding outside of a classroom environment," Faulkner said. "But it also allows them to see where they might like to come to school. It allows them to collaborate and become friends with other teams." 

Jin said, "I hope students leave with stronger teamwork and problem-solving skills under pressure, plus a clearer picture of college life through meeting our U of A student organizations." 

About the College of Engineering: The University of Arkansas College of Engineering is the state's largest engineering school, offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, online studies, and interdisciplinary programs. It enrolls more than 4,700 students and employs more than 150 faculty and researchers along with nearly 200 staff members. Its research enterprise generated $47 million in new research awards in Fiscal Year 2025. The college's strategic plan, Vision 2035, seeks to build the premier STEM workforce in accordance with three key objectives: Initiating lifelong student success, generating transformational and relevant knowledge, and becoming the destination of choice among educators, students, staff, industry, alumni, and the community. As part of this, the college is increasing graduates and research productivity to expand its footprint as an entrepreneurial engineering platform serving Arkansas and the world. The college embraces its pivotal role in driving economic growth, fueling innovation, and educating the next generation of engineers, computer scientists, and data scientists to address current and future societal challenges.