HMS tech students claim Chapter of the Year

Brittanye Blake, The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 14—HAHIRA — Hahira Middle School Technology Student Association claimed Chapter of the Year for the third year in a row at the Georgia TSA State Conference in Athens.

Monday at Lowndes County Schools Board of Education work session, the Hahira Middle School Technology Student Association was recognized for its three-year consecutive state title.

Dr. Ivy Smith, HMS principal, said, "This group of students came home with over 20 trophies. Of all the chapters in Georgia they are the top in the state. We are so proud."

The HMS TSA chapter is led by Curt Johnson, engineering technology instructor. Johnson provides resources and guides the students through the design process but much of the work is done independently.

The chapter competed against other Georgia middle schools and earned the outstanding chapter award, making it the state champion team for the third consecutive year.

Sixteen students competed in a variety of categories both individually and team earning top three places.

Johnson said the group, which he refers to as "Sweet Sixteen," competed against prestigious middle schools.

All students are returning TSA members at Hahira Middle School.

Yug Patel, eighth grade, and Aarin Dave, seventh grade, won first place in microcontroller design. The competition requires students develop and program a working digital device with real-world applications.

"They give us a theme that is typically educational. This year, we decided to create a toy piano that would help toddlers learn music and brain development," Patel said.

Johnson said the students built an impressive app and programmed the entire piano.

Eighth-graders Kye Parker, Kaylee Parker and Ethan Murray competed in the Tech Bowl, which they said is the most challenging competition.

"We spent a great deal of time studying for tech bowl and we had to take a preliminary test in order to qualify for this round of competition," Kye Parker said.

Kaylee Parker added, "The competition is similar to 'Jeopardy' with technology facts. First to buzz in earns points and if you answer incorrectly it deducts points."

The HMS team won first place in the Tech Bowl competition.

"TSA is an organization that develops leadership and technology skills," Dave said. "Everything relates back to technology and TSA aims to foster that."

Members meet twice weekly after school. The students work on projects anticipated to compete at the state and potentially the national level.