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Young minds engineer high-tech inventions

June 2, 2009 12:35 am

BY HUGH MUIR

"Let me give you some scary statistics," said Warren Hamblet, head of technical education at H.H. Poole Middle School in southern Stafford. "There are 43,000 students studying technology at the college level in the United States. In similar schools in India, there are 655,000. In China, the number is 950,000."

Hamblet sponsors and coaches the Poole chapter of the Technology Student Association, a nationwide organization that encourages middle and high school students to study and compete in a wide range of technological subjects. Of the 13 middle and high schools in Stafford, four have TSA organizations.

Poole and Gayle middle schools and Colonial Forge and Mountain View high schools expect to send about 60 students to this year's national competition in Denver. The 12,000 competitors there will come from a nationwide TSA membership of 150,000 in 2,000 schools spanning 47 states. Sixty schools in Virginia are expected to compete.

"Nobody gets paid to do this," said Terry Godwin, TSA advisor at Mountain View. "TSA has few industrial sponsors, so the kids and their families have to raise most of the money to pay for the program."

COLONIAL FORGE HIGH

Colonial Forge High School has the largest TSA chapter in Virginia, with 148 members. It sent 134 students to the northern regional competition in March, and 106 to the state competition in early May, where its members competed in 36 of the 39 events offered. It came away with 10 first-place awards, five seconds and seven thirds, plus the Outstanding School Award.

Colonial Forge will send 47 students to Denver to compete in events such as Animatronics, Architecture Model, Desktop Publishing, Fashion Design (its four-member team won first place in the state with a coral prom gown), Music Production and Future Technology Teacher.

"All of these events have something to do with the technology-education curriculum," said Dori Roberts, TSA adviser at Colonial Forge and Virginia's TSA Adviser of the Year in 2008. "This takes what students learn in class to a far, far higher level. They are no longer working for an A, but for the satisfaction of the technical challenge itself."

Among those going to Denver is Chad Brann, 17, Colonial Forge's TSA president and Member of the Year at the state competition. It is his sixth national event. He began with the chapter at Gayle. Chad will enter his automated three-man rock band that won in Animatronics at the state competition. He wants to be an architect.

GAYLE MIDDLE

Gayle has been one of Stafford's pioneering participants in the TSA program, beginning eight years ago. Two years ago, it was rated the No. 1 TSA middle school in Virginia. This year, 10 members will go to nationals to compete in at least four events.

Among Gayle's qualifiers is its Chapter Team, which came in first in the state. A six-member group must demonstrate knowledge of parliamentary procedure--on an assigned topic, on five minutes' notice--by holding an opening ceremony, conducting at least three items of business and then holding a closing ceremony, all within 15 minutes.

Doesn't sound technical? "It is part of learning how to organize your thinking," said Byron Hinton, volunteer parent adviser to the Gayle TSA. "It helps the kids develop self-confidence."

Other events Gayle will enter include Graphic Design, in which Josh Olson placed first regionally and second in the state. The theme this year is a logo for next year's nationals in Baltimore.

"It's been a real joy to teach these kids," Hinton said. "It gives them a chance to taste the world of technology without the pressures of the classroom."

H.H. POOLE MIDDLE

Hamblet works with his students for two or three hours after school every day, and often on weekends.

"These students are here because they want to be, not because they have to," Hamblet said. "This is one of the reasons I enjoy teaching technical education."

Poole sent 19 students to the state competition, where six qualified for nationals in four events. Only two will be able to go because of costs or conflicting schedules.

"Next year the nationals will be in Baltimore," Hamblet said, "so we expect more kids to be able to compete at that level."

Mariah Cottongim is a member of the Chapter Team that placed third in the state, but with the rest of her Roberts Rules teammates unable to go to Denver, she will enter solo events there, in Career Challenge (creating a resume and cover letter for a job application in a specified technology-related field) and Multimedia (designing and creating a multimedia presentation promoting the TSA).

Hunter Jacobs, who placed first in Technical Design and third in Technical Writing at the state level, will compete in those events in Denver. He and Mariah will team up in Problem Solving (working with a given set of tools--such as scissors, paper, tape, glue--to solve a specified problem) and Structural Challenge (building a model span with supplied materials that can support a given structural load).

"America is losing ground in technology," Hamblet said. "There are technology jobs worldwide now that did not exist five years ago. Out of the top 10 of these, three are dominated by foreign countries."

MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH

"It's the kids. That's what it's all about," said Terry Godwin, TSA advisor at Mountain View. "I give my students every opportunity to do well. If they're on that bus with me, they're winners."

Godwin has built the TSA program at Mountain View from scratch since coming to the school four years ago from Colonial Forge. He draws an average of 20 new students a year to participate in the after-school program.

The school will send five students to nationals, including Bobby Thomson, a top-10 finisher at the state level in Agriculture and Biotechnology Design.

Bobby's entry was a recycler's dream: attacking the buildup of non-biodegradable Styrofoam. His solution used corn to create a starch-based foam to make a cup that would hold a beverage.

The four-member Fashion Design Team placed third with a classic kilt.

"High school is the time to do what you want to do," said sophomore Peyton Hughes, "and it sounded like fun."

They had a ready-made model in team member Cian (pronounced Shawn) Girven, with appropriate Celtic ancestry.

Rachael Harden wants to be a structural engineer. Being a member of the fashion design team "got me out of my shell," she said. It also got her into TSA politics and her election last year as state historian.

That is also what TSA is about, Godwin said.

"It is to train leadership."

Hugh Muir: 540/735-1975
Email: hmuir@freelancestar.com