Rochester Community Schools students are designing retro-style video games from scratch this summer, coding their own scenes and characters on palm-sized handheld consoles during the district's STEM summer learning sessions.
The program puts Meowbits in students' hands. The card-sized devices, shaped like a GameBoy with a color screen and eight buttons, let kids write code using MakeCode Arcade and then play the games they build. In a Wednesday, July 29 photo posted by the district, three boys smiled in a classroom while holding the yellow handhelds they'd been programming.
The devices are small. But the learning isn't.
The coding sessions have been running since at least late June, with the district documenting student work on June 22, June 25, and July 29. Rochester Community Schools said students use the Meowbits to code and play their own retro-style video games, designing the scenes and characters themselves.
The STEM coding camp is one piece of a broader summer learning lineup that also includes elementary STEAM and literacy sessions integrating math, reading, writing, and science. The district's summer learning program page lists additional offerings.
Free robotics camp accepting registrations
Girls in grades 4–8 can register for a free STEM CADettes program running August 10–14 at Rochester High School, 1361 Walton Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The camp is led by members of the RHS robotics team, The FEDS 201, and covers mechanical, programming, and electrical skills. No prior experience is required. Registration opened in mid-July through the team's online form.
The first day of school for the 2026–27 year is Monday, August 24, two days earlier than last year's August 26 start.
What's ahead
- Aug. 10–14: Free STEM CADettes camp, Rochester High School (10 a.m.–2 p.m.)
- Aug. 24: First day of school, Rochester Community Schools
