For the first time in twenty years, the Boyertown Area Senior High School Technology Student Association was able to attend the national conference located in Washington, D.C. from June 27 to July 2.
Throughout the summer, nine Boyertown students and their advisor Josh Pennington competed in STEM-based events, elected their national officers, and stayed in the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center.
Out of the 6,000 students who competed at this conference, Boyertown’s chapter earned the following three titles: second place in Biotechnology Design (Mason Biehn and Olivia Crocker), third place in CAD 2D Architecture (Breanna Sheeler), and sixth place in Future Technology Teacher (Morgan Lepre).
Although many people assume that TSA only stands for the Transportation Security Administration, the 200,000 students involved in the Technology Student Association will say otherwise. TSA is a middle school and high school organization that is active in 48 states and Germany.
Students in TSA compete at the regional, state, and national level in a variety of events with different focuses. While some students may enjoy the public speaking cluster, which includes Prepared Presentation and Extemporaneous Speech, others may excel in events with an engineering foundation, such as Engineering Design or Flight Endurance. TSA truly has something for everyone.
The nine students who attended the national conference were as follows: Erik Abramczyk (Class of 2016), Mason Biehn (Class of 2016), Olivia Crocker (Class of 2016), Thomas Droege (Class of 2016), Jacob Lasher (Class of 2016), Morgan Lepre (Class of 2015), Ben Shaner (Class of 2015), Breanna Sheeler (Class of 2014), and Annie Theis (Class of 2015). The group was supervised by their advisor Josh Pennington.
Along with the previously mentioned finalists, there were several semifinalists (top twelve teams/individuals). An Architectural Renovation team composed of Olivia Crocker, Morgan Lepre, Breanna Sheeler, and Annie Theis semifinalized. Another Biotechnology Design team characterized by Thomas Droege, Morgan Lepre, and Annie Theis semifinalized as well. Erik Abramczyk and Mason Biehn semifinalized in Video Game Design.
‘It was an amazing year for all of us. I had never expected that we would be going to nationals, but the way the kids performed at regionals and states – they deserved it,’ stated Pennington. ‘We have had great years before, but having 28 students qualify for the state conference was huge; not to mention Morgan Lepre becoming a state officer and Breanna Sheeler being named female technology student of the year. I just felt like the group deserved a shot. They took full advantage, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.’
The Boyertown TSA chapter is excited for a successful year and hopes to attend the next national conference held in Dallas, Texas.
The chapter is hosting two car washes at Argento’s Pizza-Family Restaurant in order to raise money for the associated costs of conferences. The first of which will held on is Aug. 30 and the second car wash will be held Sept. 13.