Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Over the week of March 1-4, a group of students from James Madison Preparatory High School participated in the Technology Student Association (TSA) state competition in Orlando. According to the James Madison TSA Faculty Advisor, Ricky Walker, this was the first competition in which the local students competed. Two of the James Madison groups placed in the top ten in their respective competitions.
The first was in the area of Structural Design and Engineering. Two James Madison students, Jacob Adams and Jarrett Stephenson, built a bridge crane model from balsa wood following a basic design that was provided to them. The structure was then tested to determine how well it held up under weight.
Another James Madison TSA member, Courtney Wilder, placed in the top ten in the Future Technology Teacher category. For the competition, Wilder researched schools offering technical education programs. She then made a lesson plan and “taught” her lesson on the engineering design process to the judges.
The state-wide TSA competition consisted of over 1,600 students from 74 schools throughout the state of Florida.
The Technology Students of America chapter at James Madison Preparatory High School recently went to Orlando for their first state-wide competition. The local chapter had two groups that placed in the top ten in the competition. Pictured on the front row, from left to right, are: Jacob Adams, Luke Androski, William Newman, Garrett King, and Courtney Wilder. On the back row, from left to right, are: Connor Waller, Skyler Dunn, Christopher Pepera, and Jarrett Stephenson.