Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1437090
"As he looks toward retirement, Andy has found a way to automate the donut-making process! However, there are still a few kinks to work out. Can you help him reach his goal?" The game is available for free from the App Store and is a basic "puzzler " in which a curmudgeonly robot named Andy runs an automated shop where donuts decorate and package themselves. The player is a donut who must roll around in various ingredients (such as sprinkles) and jump into a pink box to earn a point. The game has 30 levels and a grand finale. Creating and publishing a complex mobile game was a huge achievement for students in Monrovia's Digital Studies Academy (DSA). They were taught, then given freedom and encouragement, by Carlson, a member of Monrovia Teachers Association. "I wanted to create a class that was different from other programming or game development classes," says Carlson. "I wanted to give my students "I let students self- educate. I teach them skills but leave it up to them as much as possible. That's what it's like to work in the tech industry." ANTHONY CARLSON: Game for Anything "A n dy h as b e e n s e rv i n g h i s co m m u n i t y f o r d e ca d e s by m a k i n g t h e m o st d e l i - c i o u s d o n u ts i n t h e va l l e y," r e a d s t H E I N T R O TO A N DY'S D O N U T S, A M O B I L E GA M E T H AT WAS C R E AT E D I N A N T H O N Y CA R L S O N 'S C L AS S AT M O N R OV I A H I G H S C H O O L A N D R E L E AS E D L AS T S U M M E R . and coughing out the virus, I wanted us to be protected, just like nurses in hospitals. And that includes having scrubs and N95 masks, which we were able to receive through negotiations." The MOU ensured that staff who test positive or need to be quarantined can stay home without having that time deducted from sick leave. The same applies to those caring for relatives with COVID. "I was part of the discussion about ventilation in the classrooms and the need for air filters to be changed. And when teachers negotiated their separate agreement, they pulled many of the things that we had already suc- cessfully negotiated with our district." Yellin-Mednick knew from age 5 she wanted to be a nurse. She made paper nurses' hats for her dolls. Her parents hid the Band-Aids because she pasted them all over her friends. She called her little red wagon her "ambulance." She received a bachelor 's degree in health and safety and another in nursing, as well as a master 's in nursing administration, at CSU Los Angeles. She previously taught in National University 's school nurse credential program. The pandemic is hardly her first challenging assign- ment. She was at 49th Street Elementary School in LAUSD during a mass shooting in 1984 when one child and one staff member died and 12 were wounded, and administered first aid to the wounded. But Yellin-Mednick loves what she does because she knows that she is making a difference in the lives of stu- dents and their families. " The job of a school nurse is to ensure that children are healthy, safe, and in their seats ready to learn. We are not paid enough for what we do. But as the pandemic has clearly shown, school nurses are an essential part of every school district." Yellin-Mednick checking a COVID-19 rapid test. 30 cta.org