Sierra Canyon’s second annual Hack the Valley hackathon returned last weekend, bringing students together for 24 hours of creativity, collaboration, and innovation.
The student-led event was founded and organized by Nathan W. '26, who launched Hack the Valley at Sierra Canyon to give students a space to explore technology and creativity beyond the traditional classroom. This year’s theme, “Multiverse of Decisions,” challenged every team to design a project in which the user’s choices directly shaped and influenced their experience.
The result was a showcase spanning computer science, digital art, animation, music, and product design — each project a different answer to the same open-ended prompt. Some teams built narrative-driven experiences where story paths shifted based on player input. Others explored the intersection of art and interactivity, designing projects in which creative choices transformed outcomes in real time. This year’s event saw a 50% increase in participation, drawing students from more than 10 schools across Los Angeles, a testament to how quickly Hack the Valley has grown.
For Nathan, the event has always been about more than the projects themselves. “It promotes teamwork and collaboration among participants who may have never worked together before,” he said. “It supports new friendships and networking opportunities.”
As a school grounded in entrepreneurial thinking and experiential learning, Sierra Canyon empowers students to turn ideas into action and take initiative beyond the classroom. When students are given the space to lead, create, and collaborate, innovation follows. Experiences like this embody the culture of opportunity that defines a Sierra Canyon education.
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