Unionville High School Students Earn First at Lockheed Martin Code Quest Competition

Unionville High School’s (UHS) Longhorn Coders earned first place in the United States Virtual Advanced Division at the annual Lockheed Martin Code Quest Coding Competition. 

The annual competition, which this year boasted over 1,800 participants across 40 divisions, required teams of two or three students to test their programming skills against a series of challenges for two and a half hours, working to earn as many points as possible and be crowned champions.

The Longhorn Coders team included UHS seniors and Computer Science Club leaders Ian Coutinho, Jeremy Hsu and Christopher Yu. 

“You’re given 25 problems to solve and test inputs and outputs,” Coutinho explained. “We were tasked with figuring out the algorithm and code for as many test cases as possible.”

Yu added that competitions like the Lockheed Martin Code Quest provide interesting question formats. He emphasized, “It is more than understanding coding diagrams; they try to have them relate to real-life applications.”

For a national competition such as this one, preparation is year-round. Many club participants are enrolled in AP Computer Science classes and compete in other contests. Hsu shared, “From these competitions, we come across questions other teams are better at answering and it inspires us to learn new techniques for the next one.” 

All three highlighted that this experience not only enhances their technical skills but also fosters teamwork and strengthens their leadership qualities. They are eager to apply the skills and knowledge gained from their time in the UHS club as they embark on their collegiate journey next year. Coutinho even shared that he declared Computer Science as his area of study. 

The trio showed gratitude for the guidance of their Computer teacher and club advisor, Mr. Pat Sheehan, throughout their high school journey.

“These three exceptional students have accepted the challenge of academic competitions in robotics, business and programming, shaping the Computer Science Club into what it is today,” explained Sheehan “I look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have beyond the walls of UHS and am proud to have been a part of their educational journey.”