“It has always been a top priority for me to encourage young women in the math field. Showing high school girls the many STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career opportunities out there is so important. I love helping all students gain confidence in both math and coding.” Mrs. Yake has been teaching high school math for 29 years, and the AP Computer Science Principles course for six years at IMHS.
College Board research says, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than five times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to female students of similar background and academic preparation who did not take CSP. 2019 Iron Mountain graduate, Natalie Dykhuis, was a student of Yake’s, and speaks highly of the course. She now attends St. Norbert’s College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and will be graduating with her degree in Computer Science Education in 2023. “CSP introduced me to the basics of computer science while making me feel equal to everyone. With the knowledge I gained from this class and the encouragement of Mrs. Yake, I realized that computer science was my passion.”
Mrs. Yake loves “teaching AP CSP through code.org's outstanding curriculum, which provides equitable teaching practices and empowers students to learn new things.”