For the first time, one of our TurtleStitch workshop participants has taken her learning beyond the walls of AIMSSEC and into her school community — and the results are truly inspiring.

Meet Althea Bartman, a proud AIMSSEC alumna and dedicated teacher who saw the potential of computational thinking to spark creativity and critical problem-solving in her learners. Motivated by her own experience, Althea started a Computational Thinking Club at her school, introducing learners to the exciting world of digital design through TurtleStitch — a platform that blends coding, mathematics, and art through embroidery.

When her learners’ enthusiasm outgrew the school’s limited resources — they didn’t have access to sewing machines — Althea reached out. In the true spirit of AIMSSEC collaboration and community, we invited her and her learners to spend the day with us at AIMS on Saturday, 18 October.

The visit was filled with laughter, curiosity, and awe as the learners brought their digital designs to life, stitching their own coded creations for the very first time. They were fascinated by the technology, inspired by the AIMS environment, and deeply proud to see their designs materialise — each pattern a symbol of creativity, logic, and teamwork.

The learners left feeling motivated and honoured to have been part of such a prestigious space, and they’re already asking when they can return. For Althea, it was a full-circle moment — a reminder that one teacher’s curiosity can plant seeds of innovation that grow far beyond the classroom.

At AIMSSEC, we celebrate educators like Althea who continue to shape futures, stitch by stitch, idea by idea.