Attention LyonHackers! 📣 Here is what your coding-filled weekend will look like - the workshops hosted by our execs will help guide you to complete your projects, so don't miss out! ✍️

Now that you've had a small rest after CCC (or maybe you've stayed on the grind 💪), it's time... for MCPT's fourth annual hackathon! 🧑‍💻
LyonHacks IV will be an online hackathon open to all WLMAC students from April 6th 12:00 PM - 8th 11:59 PM (for a total of 60 hours). Students can form teams of up to 4 individuals and the top ranking teams will be awarded with a prize pool of $150 🏆 !
Use the link below to register to confirm your participation in this exciting event before the deadline (April 5th 11:59 PM) 🗓️:
https://mcpt.ca/lyonhacks4

Love is in the air! Get ready to celebrate this year's Valentine's day with your most loved one - programming (definitely true 👍). Grab your keyboards ⌨️ and chocolate 🍫 , and get ready to compete in MCPT's Valentine's day themed LCC!
This is the final LCC before CCC, so it's the perfect chance to do some last minute refinement on your competitive programming skills. The competition will be held on Thursday, February 15th, from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. Mark your calendars, spread the love, and get ready to spend a lovely evening with your loved one! 💘

There's 2 more days before the winter break ❄ , but do you know what else that means @everyone? 👀 It's almost time for MCPT's Holiday Game Jam! ☃
MCPT is hosting its third annual game jam over the winter break, spanning from December 26th at 10AM to December 30th at 10AM (just 96 hours!), where you can form a team of up to 4 Mackenzie students to create a game 🎮 and a short video pitch. Additionally, there are $120 worth of prizes ready to be awarded for the best games 🏆. Do not fear if you don't have any previous game development experience, as we'll also be hosting workshops, activities, and mentorship sessions! :wink:
Don't miss out on this great opportunity to gain some game development experience while also learning, bonding, and having fun! Register your team by December 24th at 11:59PM to save your spot.

https://forms.gle/6PyHWXFJjFRnqP9q9

For more information, visit:

https://itch.io/jam/mackenzie-holiday-game-jam-iii

Doesn’t looking at all these Christmas trees make you wonder how to use your own? Wait… use?? Hop by room 222 Thursday, December 21 @ lunch for a lesson on how to use your very own binary indexed tree and segment trees!
And for everyone who’s been waiting.. 🥁🥁🥁.. it’s time to register for the Canadian Computing Competition (CCC)! The CCC is held annually by the University of Waterloo and will occur on Wednesday February 21, 2024. The competition gives participants the opportunity to build confidence and grow their ability to design, understand and implement algorithms.
The two division offered are Junior and Senior (yes! just like our LCCs). The Junior division is recommended for students with beginner programming skills while the Senior division is recommended for those with intermediate to advanced programming skills (we highly recommend grade 11 and grade 12 students attempt the Senior division). The top participants from only the Senior division will be invited to the Canadian Computing Olympiad (CCO).
Note: Participating in the CCC is especially beneficial to those applying to CS majors at Waterloo in grade 12.
The contest has 5 questions for a total of 75 points and will take place at Mackenzie for 3 hours. There will be a $10 fee to register and the deadline is January 10th 11:59 PM, 2024 (no exceptions); the payment will open on SchoolCashOnline AFTER signups close and will be due January 25, 2024. 

Sign up ASAP using the link below:

https://forms.gle/Tvdv1d9FjX8N8yx88
For more information visit the official website:

https://www.cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/ccc-cco.html

Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy (slightly early) holidays! 🎅
With winter break just around the corner, MCPT is excited to host the last LCC of 2023! Join us for a holiday-themed contest, where you will get a chance to win some presents (MCPT pins)! December's LCC will run on Thursday, December 21st, from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. See you there!
P.S. Quick reminder that you must participate in at least 3 LCCs and 7 competitive lessons to participate in CCC .

⌨️ Get ready to type up your skills and click into action at MCPT's Keyboard and Mouse Input Workshop! 🖱️
This event led by the mentorship branch will be held at lunch in room 222 this coming Monday, December 4th. There will be a lesson that covers all of the main mouse/key input methods and variables in processing. Of course, hands-on practice with problems will be involved as well. 😉
This topic will be very helpful for ICS projects, so don't miss out... all skill levels are welcome! 👀

Are you snuggling to get through these winter days? 🥶 Just wanna stay at home and chillax? 🍵 Well then, settle down, grab a laptop, a nice cup of hot cocoa, your favourite blanket, and get ready for...
The second Lyon's Computing Competition (LCC) of the year, which will be coming up this Thursday (November 30) from 5pm to 7:30pm! In case you forgot, it is a team programming competition with both a junior and a senior division for Mackenzie students. We're excited to announce that the top three teams for both the senior and junior competitions will receive limited edition MCPT stickers as a prize! So don't hesitate and give it your all 💪!
Also, a reminder that in order to participate in next year's CCC, you must participate in at least 3 LCCs. If you're in a new team, make sure to sign up with the link below by Wednesday, November 29th at 11:59pm. As this form is only for new teams, existing teams cannot be changed.
https://mcpt.ca/lcc/signup

Looking for sum-where to take a byte of your lunch this Thursday? 🍕🍎
Join MCPT in room 222 at lunch this Thursday, October 26th because even if we can’t give you a-rrays (in fact we can’t give you a pay grade at all), we can teach you about sum and difference arrays!
For those interested in competitive programming, this'll be a very useful concept in problem solving for contests like LCC 💡
See you all there! 🧑‍💻👩‍💻
P.S. if your LCC team finished top-3 in either the junior or senior division, stop by for stickers for each member in your team tomorrow (Thursday) in room 222!!

Are you looking to troubleshoot some haunting issues 👻 ?
You’re in luck because MCPT’s first Lyon Computing Competition (LCC) of the year is up and running on Wednesday, October 25 from 5:00 - 7:30 PM (online).
In order to participate you must register at https://mcpt.ca/lcc/signup by Monday, October 23rd at 11:59 PM with your team of 3-4 students (1 or 2 members are not allowed).
And if you’re looking for a trick or treat 🍬 for the holiday festivities, the top ranking teams in the junior and senior division will each get a github-themed sticker! So make sure to spread the word, gather your friends, and get ready to solve some eerie-sistible problems 🎃 !
P.S. You must participate in 3 LCCs to be eligible for the CCC and if you’re in an LCC team, only 1-2 members must fulfill the lessons requirement.

Hey Mackenzie!
Halve you been fuming over MCPT contest questions? 🤬 Are you searching for answers? 🤔 We got you! 😤
Attend our competitive lesson in room 222 this Thursday (October 12), at lunch for a lesson on binary search to find the solutions to your problems! 🔎 Learn all about binary search, and how you can use it to solve any practice questions you're hard-stuck on. 🥳
As for those of you who are newer to competitive programming, we will also be doing an introduction to built-in data structures in room 219 at the same time, so don't miss out on that! 👍
P.S. You must attend at least 7 lessons and 3 LCC's if you want to participate in the CCC later this year. If you cannot fulfill this requirement, please fill out this form.

Hey Mackenzie! As we mentioned, we're packed up with fun events, lessons, and more - starting this Thursday!
On that note... The first rule of MCPT: do talk about MCPT! 🤺
📣 Calling all Mackenzie students to join MCPT this upcoming Thursday, October 5 at lunch in room 222 to learn the rudimentary skills and information required to successfully launch your competitive programming journey! 👩‍💻🧑‍💻
No prior knowledge or experience is required and grade 9s are highly encouraged to drop by.
P.S. you can bring your lunch 🌯🧃 and don't forget to spread the word!

Thank you to everyone who came to our intro meeting and our club crawl stand to support MCPT! Thanks to you, we are able to run one of Mackenzie's largest clubs successfully, year after year.
We have a lot in store for all of you this year, and in order to keep up, we highly suggest joining the Google Classroom at https://mcpt.ca/gc and following our Instagram at https://mcpt.ca/ig.
Additionally, in order to attend any of our meetings or events, you are required to sign up using the form at https://mcpt.ca/signup.
See you in the ICS hallway!

Phew, that was pouring rain!
Did you have fun dodging those April showers? 🌧️
Or were you trying hard not to collide with buds of possible May flowers? 🌼
Either way, here's why you should drop into room 222 tomorrow during lunch.
MCPT's second part of the game development workshop is here! 🎮
What better way to celebrate the sign of spring than to join an interactive walk-through on collisions and levels?
P.S. Make sure to bring your laptops to follow along! 💻

MCPT Presents...The 5th LCC!
Even though this year's CCC is already over, it's never too late to start grinding for the next year's!
The fifth Lyon's Computing Competition (LCC) of the year will be coming up this Thursday (March 30) at 5pm to 7:30pm! In case you forgot, it is a programming competition competed in teams as a fun way to practice problem solving for Mackenzie students. There are two divisions, a junior division and a more challenging senior division for you to choose. 😌
Additionally, starting from this LCC, points will be accumulated to determine a final ranking at the end of the school year! 👀

**Signups close in 4 days !!
**
Are you free from April 7th 12:00 PM - 9th 11:59 PM? If the answer is “yes,” mark your calendars because William Lyon Mackenzie C.I. is inviting you to the LyonHacks’ third annual hackathon! 💻
So, what exactly is a hackathon? A hackathon is a programming event where individuals or teams of up to 4 students work together on a project, typically focused on software development, to design a functional prototype or solution within a period of time. LyonHacks III will give teams 60 hours ⏰ to hack away on any project they choose based on one of the several themes presented at the start of the hackathon. Throughout the duration, there will be workshops held as well as activities 🎯 and games 🎮 for students to meet with other participants!
All Ontario middle and high school students are welcome to compete in teams of up to 4. The top ranking teams will be awarded with $200 in prizes sponsored by Project Metropolis 🏆 !
Use the link below to register INDIVIDUALLY to confirm you are an Ontario high school student before March 31st 11:59 PM to participate 🗓️ (the link to register as a team will be released at a later date):

https://mcpt.ca/lyonhacks3

MCPT: The Game Jam
Looking for something to do over the winter break in your pa-jam-as? We’ve got you covered!
MCPT will be holding a game jam from December 26th at noon until the 30th at 11:59 PM (for a total of 108 hours)!! Participants will create a game based on a theme and prepare a pitch to submit to our judges. During the 5 days, workshops will be held to help students with game development and any other questions if they get into a sticky situation. There will be many prize categories and the winning teams will be able to earn a special something! Additionally, there will be multiple activities and games hosted for participants to have some fun! :blobbusiness:
To participate you must sign up in a team of 1-4 (must be a student attending WLMAC) by Sunday December 25 @ 11:59 PM using the following form:

https://mcpt.ca/gamejam

The 22-23 MCPT Hoodie!
Vroom vroom 🛷 - Santa and his reindeer’s have pulled over to deliver amazing news! 🎅
MCPT hoodie orders are back again for the ‘22-’23 school year. The following form to order will be open until Thursday, December 22, 11:59 PM, so make sure you don’t miss it!

https://mcpt.ca/hoodies/

All designs will be embroidered and you will also have the option to have a name personalization on the back of the hoodie.
P.S. After pulling some strings we can tell you that your hoodies will cost less when more people order - so make sure to tell your friends!

The 2nd LCC | November
Have you fallen in love with our contests? 🍂 Are you pining for another one? 🌲 Well then, you won't beleaf what will be happening this week. 😱
The second Lyon's Computing Competition (LCC) of the year will be coming up this Thursday (November 24) from 5pm to 7:30pm! In case you forgot, LCC is a team programming competition with both a junior and a senior division for Mackenzie students.
A reminder that in order to write the CCC, you must participate in at least 2 LCCs. If you're in a new team, make sure to sign up with the link below by Nov 22 @ 11:59pm.

https://mcpt.ca/lcc/signup

Web Dev Workshop: Back End
Want to know how websites work behind the scenes?
Join us for our second part of our two-part web development workshop this Thursday, November 10 at lunch in room 222, where you will get to learn about backend development! We will covering what backend is, what backend developers do, how URLs work, and how to code the logic behind websites in JavaScript.

MCPT's Web Dev Workshop Part 1: Front End
Interested in learning how to create your own website?
MCPT will be holding part 1 of the two part web development workshop series starting this Thursday, November 3 in room 222. This week will be focused on front end components while part 2 will look at the back end.You'll be learning about making a webpage using HTML and CSS, how to create a navigation bar, basic syntax, as well as a showcase of a pre-made demo.
Make sure you attend both parts of the series to gather as much info as you can!

MCPT: The First LCC!
Psst.. I heard there is a rumour going on that LCC is starting very soon.
They said that you and your friends are especially invited to join LCC on Oct 27th after school from 5:00 to 7:30 pm. If I were you, I'd take up that invitation!
The Lyon's Computing Contest (LCC) is a team programming contest hosted throughout the year by MCPT. You and a team of up to 4 will be solving 5 programming problems, starting from the easiest to the most difficult. Everybody is welcome to join, regardless of skill level. There are two divisions: junior for those newer to programming, and senior for teams looking for a real challenge. Whether you're looking for a memorable experience with friends, looking for extra prep for CCC, or wanting to scratch that competitive itch, LCC has got you covered.
Interested? Sign up your team by Tues, Oct 25th:

https://mcpt.ca/lcc/signup


NOTE: To write the CCC (Canadian Computing Competition) hosted by the University of Waterloo in February, you must participate in at least 2 LCCs. Only Mackenzie students are allowed to participate in the LCC.

MCPT's Intro Information Session (Tues/Thurs)
Did you guys hear something? Because MCPT is back and running again!
Next Tuesday (October 4th) and Thursday (October 6th), MCPT will be holding an introductory information session during lunch in room 222 for the events we’ll be hosting this year, contests like CCC where you can showcase your competitive programming skills, as well as our very amazing and talented branches of MCPT (communications, competitive, learning, mentorship, and judge).
Everyone is welcome to join so see you there!

(P.S. Tuesday and Thursday’s meeting will be the same, so if you can’t pop in on one of the days you can come by on the other day)

MCPT presents: The Competitive Diagnostic Contest!
As the first event of the 2022-2023 school year, MCPT is excited to announce our competitive diagnostic contest. Participation is open to all skill levels, but beginners are especially encouraged! It's mainly about evaluating your familiarity with competitive programming topics for future lessons and contests, so don't worry if you can’t solve some problems yet.
The contest duration will be from Sept 23 @ 3:15 pm to Sept 25 @ 11:59 pm, with a two-hour window to participate individually. There will be 6 problems of increasing difficulty — with the same scoring format as an LCC.
Interested?
Fill out the form in the contest description to get the access code!

https://mcpt.ca/contest/diagnostic22

Hey Mac!
We’re delighted to announce that MCPT is back and in person for the 2022-2023 school year!
As one of the largest clubs at WLMAC with more than 150 members, MCPT has always been dedicated to furthering the knowledge of computer science, be it through competing in programming competitions, promoting software development projects through hackathons, or hosting mentorship sessions for ICS help. In a nutshell, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to break into CS.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, stay tuned for a meeting soon where we’ll give general information about the club and present some of the events that we plan on hosting this year! In the meantime, here’s a list of the main platforms that we’ll be using this year so you can stay connected:
Club Website & Online Judge: https://mcpt.ca/
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Vs29W6zHRD
Google Classroom: https://classroom.google.com/c/Mzk3NTkyNTk0MjYw?cjc=2ubkkqi

Want to learn about windows and linux security?
Cybersecurity Club will be hosting an Introduction to Operating System Security lesson this Tuesday at lunch in Room 219. We will be going over fundamental CyberPatriot concepts for Windows and Linux. You won't want to miss it!
See you there!

Ever wonder where that giant teapot banner in Room 222 is from? Or where the National Finalist banner in the foyer was won? Do you want to possibly win a banner too? 🏅 🏆
Cybersecurity Club will be hosting an Introduction to CyberPatriot session this Tuesday May 31st at lunch in room 219! We strongly encourage people - especially grade 9s - with little to no experience to attend, as we will be going over the competition and how you can get involved.
See you there!

(Psst...)
(Have you guys- wait, why am I whispering?)
Because you should TOTALLY be applying to be a part of our next exec team, and if you haven't applied yet, why haven't you?
The application form closes May 25, 11:59 PM, and can be accessed at the link below. Applications are open to all current grade 9s, 10s, and 11s, so if you're interested, go fill it out!

https://mcpt.ca/execs/apply

Confused on who does what? Check out our role descriptions!

https://mcpt.ca/execs/roles

Hey everyone 📣
Reminder that our Exec Applicant info session + Q&A is tomorrow at 4:30 PM!
You will be able to join virtually via the link below:

https://meet.jit.si/moderated/266dd30ad417d3e11bd48a58f83da2b018c6916d9b56efdbf9f6d0951188c1f4

Just a few clarifications to clear up any confusion (and because there were indeed changes):
- meeting is afterschool
- virtual meeting, so we will NOT be in-person

Start marking your calendars because LyonHacks II will be returning this year as Mackenzie’s 2nd hackathon!
LyonHacks II will start on April 15th @ noon and will end on April 17th @ noon — for a total of 48 hours.
Now you may be wondering, what is a hackathon?
A hackathon is a programming competition that challenges teams to design and pitch a software application to our panel of judges. During LyonHacks II, teams will create a code-based project that falls under one of the given themes. The hackathon will also feature workshops, fun activities and guest speakers to help people of all skill levels. Don’t worry if the competition aspect may feel intimidating, as hackathons are seen as a place to learn, collaborate and express creativity!
All Ontario middle and high school students ages 13-18 are invited to compete, in teams of up to 4. Top teams will receive prizes from a cash pool of $250, generously sponsored by ECOO.
Interested? SIGN UP before THURSDAY, APRIL 7th @ 11:59pm:
https://learning.mcpt.ca/lyon-hacks/season-ii/
Join our Slack via the link below!
https://mcpt.ca/lh-slack