With plastic skeletons posed around the classroom, all-black outfits, and a student-built water wheel affectionately nicknamed “Goopy,” Upper School Computer Science Teacher Ms. Autumn Rogers’ classes have never been ordinary.

Over her five years at Westridge, Autumn has brought a creative, collaborative, and approachable learning style to her classes. Autumn joined Westridge halfway through the 2020-2021 school year, initially teaching the Robotics elective in a temporary position after being referred by a California Institute of the Arts mentor. Since then, Autumn has helped reshape the computer science program, redesigning the former AP Computer Science Principles course into Foundations and developing the Advanced Capstone class. “It’s really cool to get to teach computer science at a girls’ school, because teaching a bunch of girls how to code is very girl boss,” said Autumn. “So many Westridge students are genuinely very excited about learning and want to push themselves.”

Next year, Autumn will leave Westridge to begin the Professional Master of Embedded and Cyber-physical Systems Program at UC Irvine. Eventually, she hopes to work at theme parks doing animatronics, experimenting with physical coordination of lights and moving parts in a more artistic context.

Currently, Autumn teaches the Foundations of Computer Science and Engineering class, the Advanced CSE Capstone class, and the Robotics elective at Westridge. Many students describe her classes as low-stress and collaborative. Instead of relying on lectures, many of her classes are centered around long-term projects, experimentation, and creative problem solving. “She is really chill,” said Tiffany W. ’28, a student in her Robotics elective class. “She’s not a really strict teacher, and she inspires you to be creative. She gives us a lot of our own free time to just experiment.”

Senior Maddie M., who has taken multiple classes with Autumn over the past three years, has found Autumn’s classes “very engaging” and “comfortable,” from working through code to engaging in interactive activities. “For me, they’re very much a teacher I can talk to,” said Maddie. “They feel very approachable in a way that other Westridge teachers aren’t for me.”

Autumn uses interactive activities and projects to make technical concepts feel more engaging to students. In one lesson on sorting algorithms, students physically mapped out the process in chalk outside. Additionally, many students in her Robotics class have enjoyed constructing a functioning water wheel from scratch. “She’s helpful to her students, but her classes are also just fun,” said Dylan S. ’27, a student in her Foundations class last year. “When I had her classes, I was constantly looking forward to them. We would play games to learn about computer science.”

Upper School Math and Computer Science Teacher Mr. Dan Calmeyer described Autumn as an “incredibly student-forward teacher,” who constantly looks for ways to improve both her teaching and her relationships with students. “She has just always brought to bear her unique opinions, and has always been one to have amazing, deep conversations with people,” he said. “Her influence will be felt long after she’s not here.”

For Autumn, teaching at Westridge has also changed the way she views learning. After years of feeling like she had to solve problems independently as a student, becoming a teacher helped her realize how important collaborative experiences are. “Now that I’ve been a teacher, I think I’m going to be a much better student,” said Autumn. “You want [students] to do everything they can, to get everything out of the experience that they can… [teachers’] goal in life is to help you learn.”

As she leaves Westridge, many students will miss the energy and approachability she has brought to campus. “I’m going to miss her so much because she’s such a fun teacher,” said Tiffany. “Without her, the robotics class is not going to be like what it is right now.”