Laurence Toal, Computer Science Department | Immaculate Heart High School & Middle School

What do you hope students take from your classes?

I hope students come away with an understanding that computer science is a really vast discipline, one that’s part of virtually every other subject, and coding is only a part of it. No matter where your interests lie — art, law, biology, anything else! — you have something to teach the computer science world, as well as learn from it.

What is your favorite project to assign?

I love assigning the final project of my Data & Society unit, where students create data-based quiz apps to give people recommendations. I have so much fun taking the quizzes and seeing what band I should listen to next, which new boba drink I should try, or even which country I’ll find my dream house in. Also, my IH students are better at writing surveys than most of my grad school classmates were!

What is something special about working at Immaculate Heart?

I think it’s really special how many IH alums return to the school as members of the faculty, staff and administration. Yes, it can be a little weird wondering if your colleague remembers that one really ridiculous thing you did in their class when you were fifteen, but it highlights the community aspect of the school in a way that’s really important to me.