From June 27 to July 2, 4,000 middle and high school students from across the U.S. and beyond converged on Denver for the 2009 Technology Student Association (TSA) national conference.
12 Colorado Middle and High schools fared well in over 70 competitive events held at the conference which was supported by the Career and Technical Education division of the Colorado Community College System. The division is responsible for guiding, supporting and coordinating all aspects of career and technical education (CTE) delivered by Colorado's public secondary and postsecondary schools and colleges.
The Technology Student Association (TSA) is the only student organization devoted exclusively to the needs of students interested in technology. Open to students enrolled in or who have completed technology education courses, TSA's membership includes over 150,000 middle and high school students in 2,000 schools spanning 47 states.
On July 2, the 12 Colorado Middle and High schools frequently finished as finalists at an awards ceremony held at the Colorado Convention Center to honor individuals and teams who had placed high in the national conference's competitive events.
Middle School Competition Finalists came from the following Colorado cities:
(Note: competitions were team-based unless an individual is noted)
Arvada
North Arvada Middle School won: 1 st place in "Problem Solving"; 5 th place in "Inventions and Innovations"; 7 th place in "Electronic Game Challenge"; 7 th place in "System Control Technology"; and, 9 th place in "Technology Bowl".
Centennial
Newton Middle School won 7 th place in "Technology Transfer" (they shared this award with competitive-partner middle schools from Florida and Alabama).
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Middle School won 5 th place in the "Technology Transfer Challenge" (an honor they shared with their competition partner Goddard Middle School).
Littleton
Euclid Middle School's Dominic Martinez won 7 th place in the "Digital Photography Challenge."
Goddard Middle School won: 4 th place in the "Leadership Challenge"; and 5 th place in the "Technology Transfer Challenge" (an honor they shared with their competition partner Elizabeth Middle School).
High School Competition Finalists came from the following cities:
Aurora
Cherokee Train High School placed 10 th in "Radio Controlled Transportation."
Grandview High School's Brenda Burns placed 3 rd in "CAD Engineering with Animation".
Centennial
Arapahoe High School's Kailyn Witonsky won: 1 st place in "Career Comparison" and she won 5 th place in "Future Technology Teacher". Arapahoe High School's Emily Haskins won 1 st place in "Essays on Technology". Arapahoe High School's Laine Greaves-Smith won 8 th place in "Technology Bowl-Written". Arapahoe High School teams also won: 2 nd place in "Technology Bowl"; 9 th place in "Debating Technological Issues"; and 9 th place in "Formula 1 Racing Car Technology Challenge."
Elizabeth
Elizabeth High School placed 4 th in "Radio Controlled Transportation."
Greeley
Greeley West High School placed 9 th in "Construction Systems".
Lakewood
Warren Tech Career and Technical High School's Mark Flora won 10 th place in "CAD Architecture with Animation".
Littleton
Heritage High School won: 3 rd place in the "Animatronics"; 5 th place in "Electronic Game Design"; 5 th place in "Electronic Research and Experimentation"; 9 th place in "Formula 1 Racing Car Technology Challenge"; 10 th place in "Technology Dare" (concerning the application and control of mechanical fluid and electrical power); and, 10 th place in "Agriculture and Biotechnology Design."
Littleton High School's Micah Corah won 4 th place in "Transportation Modeling". Littleton High School's Chip Bollendock won 5 th place in "Essays on Technology" and 6 th place in "Career Comparisons". Littleton High School's team won 6 th place in "Technology Problem Solving."
For more information on TSA go to tsaweb.org. For more information on the Career and Technical Education Division of the Colorado Community College System, go to coloradostateplan.com.