In September of 2019, SDHS was chosen by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee for their second BlueCross Technology Academy in HCS’s Future Ready Institute Programs.

BCBST has given our community of Soddy Daisy a tremendous gift that will make a huge impact on our students, our school, and our community! Future Trojans have some great things to look forward to in the area of technology, coding, web design, cybersecurity, and networking. We “officially” launched our program in August of 2020 with over 70 students interested in learning about technology, in the areas of Computer Science (coding) and Web Development/Design.

ALL students have room in their schedules to be BCTA@SDHS and other award-winning programs like Sports, JROTC, and Band. A lot of the students are active in multiple areas of student life at SDHS. Come join us!

The big news was announced on March 8, 2021. BlueSky Institute information was released for the Class of 2022. UPDATE: The first cohort of 31 students for BlueSky will have 4 SDHS Seniors from the Class of 2022 starting at BCBSTN in Aug 2022. This is a 27-month fast-track 4-year degree in Computing from ETSU!

Today, we are enjoying our new BCTA@SDHS Suite which includes:

A Design Lab with 24 Mac Computers.
A Coding Lab with 24 dual monitors and docking stations for the students.
Two Collaboration Rooms for groups of 4 students, including a 35″ smart TV, PC computer, workspace, and whiteboards.
Conference Room for 15 people, equipped with 75″ TV, with a webcam for presentations and collaboration.
SDHS’s Web Team’s Collaboration Room is equipped with a Mac computer with Wacom Cintiq Monitor, PC Computer with a dual Monitor, smart tv, workspaces, and a whiteboard. These students run the school website and have their own space!
Large Group Presentation Space for 50 people, for guest speakers and large group presentations, including a TV wall built with 4 – 75″ smart TVs.
And don’t forget, the coffee bar for our guest presenters and community partners to enjoy.

Technology includes:

Cloud-based integrated development environment (IDE) used for coding, supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Student-created and maintained Cloud-based servers used to run websites and apps using AWS.

Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and more!)

Some of the coding languages covered in both programs of study: HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, Java, and Python.

Game Engine: Unity

Monitoring Google Analytics on SDHS Social Media accounts and YouTube Channel.

Industry Certifications:
CompTIA – ITF. (IT Fundamentals)
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification
AP Computer Science Principles
Duel Enrollment Coding I and II, Web Development

Access to large format printing using HP DesignJet.
Various coding resources for students to use, like Arduinos and Sphero RVR.
Access to equipment to explore VR (virtual reality)
Computer Hardware includes Mac OS and PC OS.

Additional Activities for Students to participate in:

Girls in Tech Club
eSports Team
Future Ready Institute Ambassadors representing BCTA@SDHS by grade level (including Leadership Training)
Challenge Projects

Guest Speakers include:

Joshua Davis – Presented information for Corporate Values and Mission Statement PBL (Fall 2020)
BCTA Launch Event – Funky Coder – How does Coding and Hip Hop Dancing Relate?(Fall 2020)
Dan Foster, David Wilson and Chris Hurst – StratusGrid Cyber Security Month Presenters (Fall 2020-present)
Denise Thomas – BCBSTN Intranet (front-side) presentation on how a corporation uses internal news/social media to promote company culture. (Fall 2020)
James Barksdale – BCBSTN Cyber Security presentation.
Tim Skinner – BCBSTN Intranet (back-end) presentation on how a corporation’s intranet functions. (Winter 2019)
Jennifer Weaver – BCBSTN presentation to Girls in Tech Club discussing career path in IT Fields/College options. (Fall 2020)
Chelsea Johnson – BCBSTN judge for Robot Pumpkin Challenge using coding, Makey Makey, and a pumpkin (grade level contest – Fall 2020-present)
Allison Salmon – Figment Games – Introduction to Game Development for 9th-grade students (January 2021)

Future Presenters planned:

BCBSTN HR Department working with 11th-grade students on soft skills for employment/certifications.
BCBSTN CyberSecurity.
BCBSTN Network.