Jim Thorpe Area High School and L.B. Morris will be starting a club that seeks to encourage education in computer science for young women.

A proposal was made to establish a set of local Girls Who Code clubs at Monday's school board meeting.Included was a letter from Jim Thorpe Area High School Principal Thomas Lesisko, which summarized the goals and the need for the club, and a mission statement for both branches.Lesisko's letter said the club would allow for the cultivation of female students' interest in computer science, introducing them to careers in the field, and connecting them with the community through special assignments and projects. These goals were echoed in the mission statements, in addition to focusing on time management, communication, and programming elements such as functions, variables, conditionals and loops.Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit organization started in 2010 by group CEO Reshma Saujani.Saujani initially noticed a gender gap in computer education during her campaign for a congressional seat.Studies show that only 18 percent of modern computer science graduates are female, which is less than half of the rate from 30 years ago.The organization offers two programs: the clubs, which the Jim Thorpe schools will take part in, and a seven-week summer immersion program. Both programs are free."I think it's a great project. I think girls should get into the field, so I'm all for it," said board Vice President Pearl Downs-Scheckler.The only issue with the program revolved around whether it was exclusionary to male students. The board's consensus was that male students could potentially participate if they supported the key tenets of the group.Volunteers Diane Gabrielle and Rose Strubinger will help manage the clubs for the high school and L.B. Morris, respectively.An additional club will start at the Penn-Kidder Campus upon selecting an adviser.