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Hack Days

Hack Days are mini-hackathons hosted by the CCSS. They’re designed to give students a focused space and dedicated time to work on projects — whether that’s something we’ve prepared in advance or something entirely self-directed.

🧩 What Happens at a Hack Day?​

Hack Days usually follow one of two formats:

  • 🛠 Project-Focused — We come prepared with specific projects or starter tasks for students to tackle. These might involve:

    • Open source contributions
    • Club tech projects
    • Coding challenges or tutorials

  • 🎨 Freeform — Students show up and work on whatever personal or group projects they want — portfolio pieces, games, tools, etc.

No matter the format, Hack Days are about building, learning, and collaborating in a chill environment.

📌 Example: Open Source Work Day (2023–2024)​

One example of a Hack Day was our Open Source Work Day (Oct 21, 2023).

  • 🕙 Ran from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • 🍕 Provided pizza for attendees
  • ✅ Organized around two open-source projects with pre-created issue lists
  • 💬 Students worked in groups or solo and were encouraged to ask for help throughout the day

⚠️ Things to Consider​

Have beginner accesible options​

Students do not want to waste their entire day on environment setup or struggling through a single task. Make sure you have project options that require extremely minimal setup so everyone has a good time.

Have a plan or fallback​

Even if it's a freeform day, it helps to have some starter ideas or projects in case people need inspiration.

Make it full-day friendly​

Provide food, water, and space to take breaks — especially if you’re running a full-day event.

Start with a brief intro​

Set expectations, introduce any projects, and make sure new students feel welcome and comfortable asking questions.

Encourage collaboration​

Hack Days are a great place to meet others and try working in teams — help facilitate that where possible.