Cart

This course focuses on building the core programming and problem-solving skills required for success in the Junior division of the Canadian Computing Competition. Designed for students with prior experience with code, this semester ensures students understand key concepts such as input/output formatting, conditionals, loops, and string manipulation. Each class is divided into two parts: the first hour focuses on guided instruction and walkthroughs of foundational algorithms and techniques required for the competition questions; the second hour is dedicated to structured problem-solving using past CCC Junior questions. Emphasis is placed on writing clean, testable code, handling edge cases, and building confidence through consistent, supported practice.

UTG Academy offers structured coaching for students participating in SFU’s Canadian Coding League. In weekly sessions, teams students work with our instructors to challenges provided by SFU CCL. Students strengthen their problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, and collaboration skills while receiving consistent guidance throughout the entire competition season, from pre-season through the Mini and Major Challenges, and up to Regional qualification.

Registration includes entry into the Canadian Coding League $250, which is waived for students that participate in our classes. Teams that qualify for Regionals or Nationals can access additional coaching in April and May.

This Course is AP Computer Science Prep, and prepares students for high school or university-level computer science by building a strong foundation in Java programming. Students will cover core topics including variables, data types, expressions, assignment operators, boolean logic, conditionals, loops, classes and objects, methods, constructors, and one-dimensional arrays. These skills are reinforced through hands-on coding and a capstone project: a custom-built app inspired by the game Wordle. The course emphasizes structured problem-solving and algorithmic thinking, providing a strong base for the official AP Computer Science A curriculum.

Prior programming experience is helpful but not required for success in this course.

The VEX V5 Competitive Robotics team is where students learn to design, build, and program robots in a collaborative, high-stakes environment. Guided by their coach Duncan McDonald, students take on the official VEX V5 game challenge (currently Push Back for the 2025-26 season), exploring mechanical design, electronics, sensors, and both block-based and text-based coding. Through building, testing, iterating, and documenting their work, they develop creativity, resilience, and real engineering chops.

Our coaching philosophy mirrors VEX’s student-centered model; students drive their learning while the coach mentors by asking guiding questions rather than giving direct answers. Team members own their designs, learn to think critically, and build confidence as independent problem-solvers.

Teamwork is at the heart of every match. Students work together to strategy-plan, build, test, and refine their robots, communicate their ideas, and respect different perspectives. They practice professionalism through robot design, engineering notebooks, interviews with judges in the “pit” area, and by presenting their solutions.

Families should expect to attend official tournaments, with travel required to local and regional events throughout the year. These competitions are where students put their hard work to the test, and dedicated teams aim to advance from local tournaments to provincial championships and, for top performers, the international stage.

UTG Academy fields a competitive team in the 2025 to 2026 global challenge, Mix & Match, within the VEX IQ Robotics Competition. Students work side by side to design, build, and program robots that stack, connect, and score game elements on the official competition field. Every student takes on meaningful responsibilities that contribute to team success.

Families should expect regular tournament attendance on a roughly monthly schedule, with travel to local and regional venues throughout the season. Events include teamwork matches and skills challenges, with strong teams progressing toward provincial championships and the VEX Robotics World Championship.

What students learn:
Mechanical engineering for building efficient, competition-ready robots
Coding in VEXcode Blocks and Python for autonomous routines and match control
Using sensors for precision driving, alignment, and scoring
Teamwork, leadership, and game strategy in a competitive environment

How we coach:
• Student-centered mentoring where the coach guides with questions rather than giving answers
• Clear team roles that rotate and develop skills over time, including drivers, programmers, designers, and scouts
• Emphasis on testing, iteration, documentation, and professional conduct at events

Team goals:
• Develop a robot that excels in teamwork matches and autonomous skills runs
• Train as a coordinated unit with defined roles and practice plans
• Build resilience, adaptability, and confidence through real competition pressure

UTG is a premium robotics program focused on developing young engineering talent while preparing students to compete in VEX Robotics tournaments. UTG Academy has produced World Robotics Champions who continued into post-secondary pathways and VEX U (VEX University) competition.

Students build essential Python coding skills by creating fun games with PixelPAD, an easy-to-use coding platform designed specifically for young learners. They'll explore core concepts like user inputs, x and y positions, if-then logic, and detecting collisions, culminating in their own playable Space Shooter game that can be played on the web. This hands-on approach fosters creativity, builds resilience through debugging, and ignites curiosity in technology. Basic familiarity with computers and keyboarding is needed. No prior coding experience is required!

Students code their own 2D top-down role-playing game inspired by classic adventures like Zelda, using Python and PixelPAD. They'll design interactive worlds featuring characters, collectible items, and engaging challenges. By implementing concepts such as character interactions, inventory systems, and basic game logic, students expand their coding skills through creative storytelling and interactive gameplay. Basic familiarity with computers and keyboarding necessary; no prior coding experience required.

Students code their own 2D top-down role-playing game inspired by classic adventures like Zelda, using Python and PixelPAD. They'll design interactive worlds featuring characters, collectible items, and engaging challenges. By implementing concepts such as character interactions, inventory systems, and basic game logic, students expand their coding skills through creative storytelling and interactive gameplay. Basic familiarity with computers and keyboarding necessary; no prior coding experience required.

UTG Academy offers structured coaching for students participating in SFU’s Canadian Coding League. In weekly sessions, teams students work with our instructors to challenges provided by SFU CCL. Students strengthen their problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, and collaboration skills while receiving consistent guidance throughout the entire competition season, from pre-season through the Mini and Major Challenges, and up to Regional qualification.

Registration includes entry into the Canadian Coding League $250, which is waived for students that participate in our classes. Teams that qualify for Regionals or Nationals can access additional coaching in April and May.

AP Computer Science Prep Part 2 builds on the foundational Java skills developed in Part 1 and is designed to further prepare students for advanced high school or university-level computer science courses. Students deepen their understanding of object-oriented programming by exploring key topics such as array lists (including traversal, searching, and sorting), two-dimensional arrays, inheritance, and polymorphism. These advanced concepts are reinforced through two applied projects: a memory-matching card game and a text-based implementation of "21". The course emphasizes abstraction, code organization, and reusability, reflecting the structure and expectations of the AP Computer Science A curriculum.

Prior experience with Java programming is required.

This course focuses on full problem-solving strategies and techniques aligned with the Junior division of the Canadian Computing Competition. Students are introduced to common algorithmic patterns such as greedy methods, nested iteration, and functional decomposition. The first hour of each class introduces these techniques through targeted instruction and walkthroughs of representative problems. The second hour is dedicated to hands-on problem sets drawn from past CCC Junior contests, with a focus on accuracy, efficiency, and testing. Students strengthen their ability to analyze problems, structure solutions, and debug effectively under time constraints.

Students learn professional game development using Unity, a leading industry-standard platform. They will code using C# in Microsoft Visual Studio. The course culminates in the creation of a complete 2D Spaceship Shooter Game. Unity projects can be deployed across mobile devices, PCs, and consoles, and distributed via app stores. Prior coding experience is recommended; no Unity experience required.

Students build essential Python coding skills by creating fun games with PixelPAD, an easy-to-use coding platform designed specifically for young learners. They'll explore core concepts like user inputs, x and y positions, if-then logic, and detecting collisions, culminating in their own playable Space Shooter game that can be played on the web. This hands-on approach fosters creativity, builds resilience through debugging, and ignites curiosity in technology. Basic familiarity with computers and keyboarding is needed. No prior coding experience is required!