Parents of current McDonogh students may sign up for website accounts. Signing up for an account allows a parent to access the online directory, DASH, and your customized parent Personal Page.
McDonogh Coders Recognized by National Center for Women in Technology
Nina Murthi '24, Caitlin Rapalski '24, Solana Silverman '25, Zewdi Tesfayohannes '25, Danielle Nelson '24, and Sophie Winter '26 were recently recognized by the National Center for Women in Technology for their aptitude and interest in IT and computing.
Six female coders (computer programmers) in McDonogh’s Upper School were recognized at the Aspirations in Computing awards ceremony on Sunday, April 21 hosted by the Maryland Affiliate of the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT). The award recipients were selected for their aptitude and interest in IT and computing, solid leadership ability, community service and learning outside of school, good academic history, and plans for post-secondary education.
“I am very proud of our winners and all the girls who are making their mark with us in coding and cyber,” says Computer Science teacher Joe Thompson, who has helped a number of Upper School students (male and female) plot a course to future careers in IT and computing.
Thompson continues, “There are wonderful opportunities out there for girls who are willing to give these disciplines a serious shot. Our girls are destined not just to build great software and defend our networks, they are bound to lead, manage, and start new companies and endeavors where their skills will be highly prized. Watch them.”
Congratulations to the honorees for their achievements, and for the potential they have shown, earning the distinction from NCWIT as well as other organizations.
Nina Murthi '24, a Maryland Affiliate winner, was recognized for problem-solving in the Java language. She plans to attend the University of Southern California in the fall.
Danielle Nelson '24 earned a National Honorable Mention from NCWIT as well as a Maryland Affiliate award for outstanding work in Cybersecurity and Mobile App Development. Earlier this year she competed in and won the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) competition and plans to attend SUNY Stony Brook as a Simon’s Rock Scholar in the fall.
Caitlin Rapalski '24 received both National Honorable Mention and Maryland Affiliate prizes at the Aspirations in Computing awards ceremony. A top coder and cyber practitioner, she has worked in Cybersecurity at LockheedMartin and made contributions in the important areas of red team hacking and cryptography. She plans to attend Cornell University in the fall.
Solana Silverman '25 earned special recognition as a “Rising Star” by the NCWIT Maryland Affiliate having completed several Android projects that utilize her Java coding talent and experience. She has been awarded a prestigious government work/study opportunity for her senior year.
Zewdi Tesfayohannes '25 earned an Honorable Mention from the NCWIT Maryland Affiliate for her achievements in the JavaScript and Java languages. She was part of a team that created a multimedia web card in December 2023 while still in her first year as a coder.
Sophie Winter '26 received an NCWIT Maryland Affiliate prize for having competed, with distinction, in Cyber and Java contests on behalf of McDonogh. A sophomore, she completed H Java in her first year of coding. This year she has excelled in post-AP coding courses.
