Several years ago, Julie Wray and Carrie Trudden, Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) then- and current coordinators of Instructional students engage in activities to help broaden their understanding of computer science. The district had historically used and had success with resources available on The collaborative efforts between Wray, Trudden, and HocoHOC paid off. Under Gao and Mohanty’s learning
<p>But the HocoHOC emails kept coming. In spring 2025, Wray and Trudden again received an email from the group and this time followed up on it. They set up a meeting with HCPSS students and HocoHOC Co-Directors Daniel Gao (River Hill High School) and Ankit Mohanty (Marriotts Ridge High School) to discuss the possibility of collaborating. During that meeting, Gao and Mohanty explained that HocoHOC was a student-run group that had developed a
On the heels of last year’s success, HCPSS and HocoHOC again are working together on this year’s Hour of AI. Ankit Mohanty is returning as HocoHOC director for a second year. With Gao having graduated, River Hill High School student Nicholas Chen will serve as co-director to help Mohanty lead the effort.
“Our student writers are already busy producing a bunch of new articles, and we’re developing games and daily challenges that will enable students to earn extra points during the Hour of AI in December. And we’re planning to offer great prizes again and will donate $300 to the winning school and $50 to the second- and third-place schools,” explains Mohanty. “We’re hopeful that the new material and prizes will encourage even more students and schools to participate this year.”
“Ultimately, we want to help all students see that while subjects like AI and computer science can seem intimidating, they are accessible—and fun!—if you break them down,” adds Mohanty.
Students in all grades may participate in HCPSS’ 2026 Hour of AI activities Dec. 8-15. Additional information will be shared with students and families by participating schools.
