CVMS students travel from Flintstone to Orlando for national competition
The Technology Student Association is a national organization devoted to simultaniously challenging and meeting the needs of students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematices.
Better known as TSA, the association serves the best and brightest high and middle school students — nearly 200,000 of them in about 2,000 schools, in 48 states.
And in Georgia, perhaps no other school and its STEMinterested students gained accolades than those from Chattanooga Valley Middle School.
Under the guidance of science teacher Steve Wells, the CVMS teams have consistently done themselves and their school proud — and Wells has a room full of trophies and awards to prove.
The most recent trophy room addition came after the CVMS team earned a fifthplace finish in this year’s statewide competition.
Georgia TSA was founded in 1962 as the Georgia Association of Industrial Arts Clubs with 10 clubs, statewide. More than five decades later, the organization continues in guiding its members to become successful leaders and responsible citizens in a technological society with programs that foster communication, leadership and competitive skill development in the classroom/laboratory environment.
“It teaches problem solving,” Wells said.
While some might dismiss TSA members as “nerds”
constituting a minute segment of the school’s students, Wells said that of CVMS’s total enrollement of about 500 more than 200 participate in TSA activities with about 60-75 taking part in competitions each year.
Sam Dickson was among those who constructed a scale-model bridge as part of the structure competition. Within a period of about two hours, Sam and his TSA team mates showed their problemsolving skills by crafting a piece able to support 108 pounds.
Riley McBee, a sixthgrader, said she “had fun and learned a lot” from her involvement, something seconded by Samual Bednar who said “a cousin told me about it — that it was a lot of fun.”
And all agreed with Elijah O’Shields’ remark, “I like technology and doing stuff.”
Wells said that of those who participate in the school’s TAS program, about 60-75 are active each year in competitions.
And even though the 2017 school year has ended and after their fifth place at the statewide competition in April, these CVMS students have one more goal: three are traveling to the TSA National Conference, being held in Orlando June 21-25, that has as its theme “Defining Your Future.”
These youngsters in 2017 have accomplished the mission of Georgia TSA which is to prepare its membership to be successful leaders and responsible citizens in a technological society.
They also have continued CVMS’s tradition of developing well-rounded students who hone their communication, leadership and competitive skills in a classroom/laboratory environment.
By nearly any matrix, regardless of their achievements at this year’s nationals, these youngsters have proved themselves winners.
Already they look forward to the coming school year and preparations for the TSA National Conference that will be held in Atlanta with a theme “A Celebration of Success” — something with which they are familiar. Competing in the Georgia Technology Student Association State Leadership Conference in Athens, Georgia, March 9-11, were: Jinwoo Park, Samual Bednar, Sam Dickson, Jacob Klein, Ria Cox. Jonah Barksdale, Ben Birchfield, Logan Fouts, Ben Lamontagne, Elijah O’Shields, Rayla Haag, Kuiper Roerdink, Jaycob Maloney, Alexis Maloney, Isabel Kennedy, Molly Pickard, Katey Llewellyn and Riley McBee. Of the 18 students making up the Competition Team, 13 placed in the top three in at least one event and all 18 placed in the top 9 in at lease one event. The CVMS team entered 20 of a possible 32 competitions, and among the 75 participating middle schools, Chattanooga Valley’s team placed fifth overall in Georgia. Riley McBee, Katey Llewellyn and Rayla Haag will travel to Orlando for the National Conference June 21-25.