Students at Dimmitt Middle School got a rare treat Friday as Gov. Jay Inslee and Seahawks Safety Earl Thomas III stopped by for a hands-on computer demonstration of coding.

The “Hour of Code” event was organized by Seattle-based company Code.org. The governor and Seahawks player talked about the importance of computer science skills – like programming, or coding – that are needed in a variety of professions. Inslee’s office estimates that for every computer science degree graduate from Washington’s universities, there are 27 open jobs available.

“This is about building confidence,” Inslee said. “We give these kids a little bit of confidence so they’re not intimidated to go into computer science. They come out with a computer science degree from Washington State University or University of Washington; they’ll work for Boeing or Microsoft and have a tremendous career.”

Inslee and Thomas crowded around a couple of computers in Dimmitt’s computer lab, while students instructed them through the “Hour of Code” program. The room was abuzz with excitement as students and staff whipped out cell phones and cameras for photos.

“I’m super excited; I’m stoked,” said student Nevaeh Montgomery about having the two celebrities in the classroom. “I’ve been excited all week; I’m really happy.”

She likes coding too, she said, because she likes “figuring out how things work and controlling stuff.”

Thomas was amazed by the students’ demonstration and how advanced they are, he said.

“I have a young daughter coming up and I want her to get all these benefits and see all these opportunities that I didn’t have,” Thomas said.

He attended the event on behalf of his organization The Earl Thomas III Guardian Angel Foundation, which will also be sponsoring a series of “Coding is Cool” summer camps this year.

It’s going to take time, computers and resources to provide students with the opportunities they need to advance in these fields, Inslee said.

“So we’re going to try in this Legislative session in responding to the court’s McCleary Decision, which is calling for billions of dollars invested in schools. It’s very flexible, so it can be used for this type of thing,” he said.

Renton Schools Superintendent Merri Rieger called the special visit to Dimmitt “outstanding.”It was a positive experience for the students to see two high profile people becoming active learners as they watched the other students demonstrate coding, she said.