Code Ninjas Opens In Libertyville

LIBERTYVILLE, IL – Hundreds of residents stopped out for the grand opening of Code Ninjas, a new kids education center for children ages 7 to 14 years old, in recent weeks.. The Libertyville Code Ninjas
center, at 1324 S. Milwaukee Avenue, is the first in Illinois, while there are 265 Code Ninjas centers in the U.S. that are already open or are planning to open soon, according to a news release. Centers are enrolling now or coming soon in other towns in the suburbs, including Algonquin, St. Charles, Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Gurnee, Naperville and Round Lake Beach, according to the Code Ninja website.

Libertyville Code Ninjas owners Noreen and Ayaz Merchant, who have lived in Libertyville for 10 years and have IT and finance backgrounds, say their business is meant to address the growing need for STEM-based activities for area children.

The Merchants became interested in this business after looking for coding classes for their son, Aydin.

“Hehad attended several summer coding camps but there weren’t any robust programs available close to home that were year-around and tailored specifically for kids,” Noreen said. “Code Ninjas not only provides a robust curriculum to learn how to code in a fun game-based environment, but it also helps kids learn critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork – skills that are important to help them prepare for the future."

The grand opening celebration on July 28 included a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler and GLMV Chamber of Commerce Chairman Karen Lavris, CEO Scott Adams and other chamber members. Families were welcomed with various technologies for kids to try – programming games on laptops, 3D modeling and printing, circuits and robotics, and Virtual Reality experiences.

More About The 'Ninja Concept'

The ninja concept is an interesting mix with coding education. Ninjas start at White Belt and keep progressing to higher belts as programming and robotics skills are learned. Black Belt is earned when a child can develop an idea into a custom developed game from concept to delivery for App Store distribution.

Senseis (coding mentors) guide the Ninjas on their journey as they work in the Coding dojo on a flexible ‘drop-in when available’ schedule. Code Ninjas also offers camps, workshops, and Parent Night Outs.

Parents Ryan and Megan Hampsey, who enrolled their son for the Belt program as well as the Game Builder’s Club summer camp say “our 10 year old, Jack, is not a sports kid. We had been looking for coding and robotic classes for some time. Code Ninjas fills a need for parents like us."

More via the Code Ninjas website

Submitted photos/Code Ninja press release