Michael Kongstvedt is in 8th grade at J.T. Hutchinson Middle School and has been awarded as the “Super Ninja of the Year” for the United States by Code Ninjas on Friday during its annual NinjaCon Conference and Awards Ceremony in Pearland.
Michael has been developing his coding skills at the Code Ninjas Lubbock since its opening in 2019. He was chosen out of tens of thousands of “ninjas” at over 350 Code Ninjas locations around the country.
The owner and Center Director at Code Ninjas Lubbock, Amy Slaughter, nominated Michael after watching him take the initiative to build upon the skills he was learning via the Code Ninjas curriculum, and expand it into his own video games. Slaughter said:
“Michael is a joy in the Dojo. He brings a positive vibe every time he visits our Center. He is creative, he thinks outside the box, and his games always have purpose and a little something extra. It has been an absolute joy to watch him grow over the last two years. We hope to hire him as a Sensei when he is old enough. His future is BRIGHT, and we are so proud to say he is a Code Ninja in Lubbock, Texas!”
Code Ninjas’ aim is to empower future innovators to thrive in a digital future. Michael is a member of Code Ninjas CREATE, a multi-year program where kids visit the centre weekly to work through a coloured belt system. By the time he earns his black belt, he will have created his own proprietary game or app, that can be published on popular app stores. He is also a member of Code Ninjas’ new First LEGO League (FLL) team, a nationwide competitive robotics league. Michael commented:
“I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t been introduced to Code Ninjas, I probably wouldn’t have even got into code. It’s helped me to learn about code and decide I probably want a career in it.”
At Code Ninjas, everyone learns how to code in a fun, safe, and social learning environment where gaming is celebrated, and STEM is cool. Kids get immediate help and encouragement from Code Senseis and fellow ninjas as they advance from white to black belt.
Younger kids are able to take part in Code Ninjas JR. All ages are able to take part in summer camps instilling problem-solving and critical thinking skills into the leaders of the future.
