by Kevin Dicciani

A year and a half ago, James Pickering and Noah Gansallo, two juniors at Germantown Friends School, wanted to create something that could spark a “technological renaissance” in Philadelphia.

The 17-year-olds – Pickering, from Abington, and Noah, from Philadelphia – had thought of an event where students and teachers, from computer programmers and designers to beginners and those without coding experience, could come together and experience the atmosphere of a 24-hour hackathon, all the while collectively building, sharing and producing ideas with the hope of reaching technological innovation.

Now, on May 14-15, they will see their concept come to life when they host Philadelphia’s first high-school sponsored hackathon at GFS, entitled “hackGFS.” The event is the culmination of the two partnering with GFS, procuring sponsorships and launching a successful $6,000 Kickstarter campaign.

The Chestnut Hill Local interviewed both Pickering and Gansallo to learn more about themselves and how “hackGFS” evolved from an idea into what will be a technologically historical event for the city of Philadelphia.

Local: When and how did you first get interested in computers?

James: I’ve been interested in computers my entire life. I used to drive my mom crazy changing all the settings and icons on all of our family computers. I liked exploring all the possible combinations of settings when I was younger.

Noah: I’ve been interested in computers since before I can remember. Before I was even able to own a laptop, I would sneak myself on to the computers at my mom's office. I actually started programming around the seventh grade, but gave it up around the same time because I thought it was too difficult. But really, I've been interested in computers since forever.

When did you first start coding?

J: I started coding in fifth grade when I discovered the HTML layout in Microsoft Word. I googled HTML, found a tutorial, and the rest was history.

N: I originally started programming in seventh grade with C++, but immediately gave it up because it was extremely difficult. I didn't really become serious about programming until around my freshman year. This time, though, I started with website development and was amazed at how quick I could progress and how quickly I could make something tangible.

How did coding eventually lead to “hacking?”

J: "Hacking" in a traditional sense is essentially just coding. This is the meaning of "hacking" that "hackathon" is derived from. So for me, I’ve been a "hacker" ever since I began to code and put together projects.

N: Through attending hackathons, I realized that I could make little projects that could directly influence my daily life. I think that's when coding turned to hacking – when I realized that I could make tangible projects.

Is it just a hobby, something you do in your free time, or a subject you would like to pursue in college and for a career?

J: It is most certainly something that I want to pursue in college. Career-wise, I want to start my own company, or be an essential part of a startup, and CS will really help with that I think. But I don’t want to just be a programmer.

N: I think that I would like to study computer science in college, but, honestly, I'm not too sure. I probably will end up studying software engineering though.

What do you specifically enjoy about coding?

J: I love solving problems. I love figuring out the best, most efficient, most clean way to do something. This is an area that is ever evolving, and there will always be better practices and more things to learn, and I really like that about it.

N: Well, I'm kind of an impatient person, so the thing that I like best about programming is the fact that the results are immediate. In addition, the learning curve is not too bad.

How did you come up with the idea to host a hackathon at GFS?

James and Noah: We came up for the idea almost one and a half years ago. We really just wanted our peers and city to experience the technological atmosphere of a hackathon, and, hopefully, start some sort of technological renaissance in Philadelphia.

Who at GFS helped turn your idea into a reality?

J & N: We’ve received a lot of help from Byron Davis, the head of upper school at GFS; Meg Ragas, director of publications and marketing projects manager, and Mia Gannon, the marketing and inquiry coordinator, who were our correspondents on the GFS media team. But the person who has helped us the most was Matt Zipin, the upper school's computer coordinator. He's helped us from the beginning. We're thankful for all of our adult correspondents.

How did you secure sponsors for hackGFS?

J & N: We developed a sponsorship outreach program – which we had to revise at least two times — that allowed us to reach out to over 350 companies easily. Interested parties can then respond to organize a phone call. We've been advised a lot by our main partner — Major League Hacking — in the art of pitching ourselves to companies. Some of the well-known companies that we are partnered with are Twilio, Slack, MIT Launch, CulinART, Lob, Makeschool, and Figma.

What is on the agenda for hackGFS?

J & N: We haven't drafted up the final schedule yet, but we're pretty sure that we'll have a bunch of cool gadgets for people to play with as well as cool and current judges! There will definitely be lots of workshops for beginners, too.

What will other students get out of hackGFS?

J & N: We think that this is an opportunity for people who are on the fence about, or haven't yet been exposed to technology to see a real-world application. This sort of exposure can jumpstart a passion.

What do you think the students with no experience with coding will learn by the end of the event?

J & N: We will be running workshops in introductory courses for those who have never programmed before. Makeschool will be running a few, and James might also run one!

Why is hackGFS an important event for both you and GFS?

J & N: It is important to us because we get to share our interest with so many other kids, and help spread an interest in technology. People who we never thought would come are asking us for details about hackGFS, and that itself is awesome and gives us an amazing sense of accomplishment. We will also learn so much about hosting events, talking to companies, reaching out to people we’ve never met before, and so much more. It is important for GFS because it is the first step of many for GFS to become a more technologically advanced school and for GFS to have a real computer science department. It shows that GFS is progressive in technology.

Is there anything you would like to add?

J & N: We would like to thank all our sponsors, everybody who donated, and Major League Hacking for all the guidance that they've given us so far! Also, we want to give a special thanks to Meg, Mia, Byron, and Matt. They have been instrumental in this whole process and we would not know what to do without them. We would also like to thank Alex Rittler, Preston Choe, Elliot Anderson, and the rest of the hackGFS club.

For more information, visit hackgfs.io.