Canada's oldest and largest high school hack-a-thon reaches decade milestone

Elsie Wang (right), seen on May 4, 2024, is a co-director for the 10th annual MasseyHacks event. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

An annual 24-hour competition that allows students to explore the realm of computer science and bring their ideas to life by developing a project of their own has reached a milestone this weekend.

MasseyHacks returned for its 10th edition Saturday at Massey Secondary School.

The high school "hack-a-thon" is welcoming approximately 160 students between Grades 7 and 12 this weekend to develop software and hardware, learn new skills by engaging in workshops, and make valuable connections with mentors and industry professionals.

The students have 12 hours on each day of the weekend to complete their project. They are not allowed to work on their projects outside of the total 24-hour period.

"I think we're super lucky to have this event in Windsor," said MasseyHacks co-director and grade 12 student Elsie Wang.

"When I was in Grade 7, I attended as a participant and I just thought it was amazing," said Wang. "It's amazing to see how this event has developed. It's cool because technology is always changing and innovating. Along with that, our workshops are changing."

Wang points to 3D printing as one focus of a workshop that was introduced in recent years.

New this year to MasseyHacks is the introduction of an innovation fair.

According to Wang, event sponsors in previous years found it difficult to engage with students — especially in the last few years when MasseyHacks went virtual due to the pandemic.

"So this year, the students get to network with various people from different companies," said Wang.