5th Annual Hackathon

The annual MHS Hackathon returned for 2025 as the Girls in Tech (GiT) Hackathon and offered an amazing day of creativity, curiosity, and community.

Students from seven Berkshire County and northern Connecticut schools collaborated to stretch their imaginations and find solutions to real-world problems in an inspiring and supportive girl-centered environment.

Hosted by the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield, the daylong program was supported by Lee Bank and MHS alum Carolyn Harris Rowe ’73, and led by Dr. Chris Himes, MHS Director of Engineering & Technology Innovation/STEAM Coordinator, in partnership with the Flying Cloud Institute. MHS students Kady ’25 and Hyeon ’26 and MHS Engineering and Technology Innovation Teacher/Science Teacher Zara Acosta-Chen also assisted. Miss Hall’s Trustees Yiyan Zhou ’91 and Lee Carbonelli ’95 helped with visioning work for expanding the Hackathon to include other schools in-person for broader impact.

Some students learned how to build with Arduino and Tinkercad and printed 3D designs, while others explored AI technology and ethics. Throughout the day, there were opportunities to build friendships with others interested in tech, and all participants also learned from experts in the field. Giovanna Fessenden-Fairbank shared her path from computer scientist to intellectual property lawyer in the tech industry. Samee Swartz talked about how she fell in love with tech as a 6-year-old at Flying Cloud and went on to pursue a career in robotics at Google and Waymo.

Students of all skill levels participated in the program, which is designed for female-identifying, high school-aged students in and around the Berkshires and who are interested in learning and applying their tech skills to address real-world problems through tech, coding, and engineering. The program was free to all participants.

“We were able to provide students the unique experience of collaborating with like-minded peers on technology projects of their choosing in a girl-centered environment,” notes Dr. Himes. “Students said the Hackathon was inspirational, exciting, and supportive, and two 9th-grade participants are already looking forward to next year!”

“Both Giovanna and Samee shared details of their expertise and the importance of mentoring and networking, especially for women in the field,” notes Dr. Himes. “Their presentations were powerful and moving.”

The MHS Hackathon debuted in 2021 as a three-day, in person and virtual event that saw students from Miss Hall’s and other schools work together in teams to address societal issues through technology. It has evolved in format over the years and remains centered around designing, coding, problem-solving, and hearing from dynamic panelists about leadership, advocacy, and women in STEM.

“We believe our program provides unique exposure to tech and engineering that is not often taught in high school and not always culturally accessible to young women,” adds Dr. Himes. “Going forward, our goal is to inspire more students who can see themselves studying tech and moving into tech-based careers. We are already looking at plans for next year’s Hackathon, and we hope to grow the program and build a larger community.”