IRMS Technology Students Association Members Win State and Head to Nationals

Technology Student Association (TSA) is a nonprofit national organization whose mission is “to inspire its student members to prepare for careers in a technology-driving economy and culture.” Nationally, over 2000 middle schools and high schools participate.

TSA is thriving at both Cascade High School (CHS) and Icicle River Middle School (IRMS), with student memberships of fifteen and 23, respectively. The clubs meet regularly throughout the year, structured around researching and devising projects in a wide array of technology areas. Some technology categories have a distinctly creative bent, like fashion design, music production, board game design or children’s stories, while innovation still plays a role in categories like CAD, coding or robotics. There’s something for every student.

Projects are completed and submitted for competition at the state level. The recent state conference is where projects are judged after students give professional presentations to a panel of judges. A few other areas of competition occur live at the conference, such as problem solving, on-demand video and coding challenges.

Most of the CHS and IRMS students attended the conference on March 16-19, held at the SeaTac Doubletree Hotel. IRMS advisors Jodie Tremberth and Kim Gilreath (both science teachers) and CHS advisors Teara Dillon (art teacher) and David Harvill (CTE teacher) accompanied the students.

Tremberth explained the preparation involved for the IRMS students. “Most of these students started working on their projects as early as December, but the real grunt work began in February. For the final weeks leading up to the state competition, students worked in my classroom during their lunch, their academy class, and often afterschool. This doesn't even include work they did with their teams on the weekend. Once the teams and/or individual students get momentum on their projects and the state competition deadlines loom over them, then they really start to dive in and refine their projects.”

The CHS students are a little more familiar with the competition structure, so they start preparing even earlier, knowing there is stiff competition at the high school level.

“We meet every week on Thursday during Flex and our rooms are open for students to work anytime from 7:30 to 3:30 daily,” said Dillon. “We began as soon as the school year started with researching and choosing potential events. In November, we started working toward getting a draft created for the deadline in January. After January we refined the entry, checked rubrics, and collaborated as needed. At the high school level, we do depend on the students to plan their time with guided checkpoints from us advisors. There was some last-minute creating and printing the week before State. Everyone completed all needed components to present at State.”

"Everyone was thrilled to have an in-person state event again, after two years of lackluster virtual variations. “A highlight from the trip is seeing the joy, satisfaction and sense of pride expressed by these hardworking students,” said Tremberth, speaking of the middle schoolers. “For many of them it is their first time on a trip without family or even staying in a hotel! When we walk through the hotel and take the glass elevators to our rooms, the anticipation of 20 middle schoolers for this new experience just makes me giggle!

“Other highlights include their participation in the cardboard boat races—Allie and Georgia took their boat across the pool not once, but twice. Also, telling each other dad jokes while they wait nervously for interviews or presentations and interacting with other teams and sharing their projects, such as robots and video game designs. It is an amazing experience that I wish more students were a part of.”

As for the high schoolers, Dillon recalled, “The On-Demand Video team had to plan, film, and edit their production in 36 hours at the event. It was exciting watching them make this happen.

“Also, the Coding event went really long, and I coaxed the lunch food service to stay open a bit longer so Quentin and Haakon were able to eat. The fashion show was fun as Tonio modeled the outfit. The kids were great representatives of our school.”

Of course, the students want to see how they compare to other schools from around the state, including private schools and magnet schools. IRMS racked up three first place finishes and a second place in the categories of Community Service Video, On-Demand Video and Silent Film. “Our Community Service Team will advance to Nationals in Dallas, Texas,” said Tremberth. The other two events are state-only events, and thus do not advance to Nationals.

The team of Cordelia Freeland, Avery Houghton, Jewel Leroy and Olivia Melton will spend a week in Texas in June to compete at the national level and experience many other technology learning opportunities. Their winning video was an overview of the sustainability efforts at IRMS. “We filmed around the school, showing our ways of being more sustainable,” said Melton. “Our whole team filmed and was in the video.”

“When we were called up [during the award ceremony], we were so nervous that this project that we worked on so hard wasn’t going to make it to the top three, but when they called our name for first, we were so happy and excited because we get to go to Nationals,” said Houghton. “Texas is going to be so fun, and we get to meet many new people. It will be so cool to see projects from all over the country.”

Overall top Washington State results included, at the middle school level: Community Service Video, 1st place for Cordelia Freeland, Avery Houghton, Jewel Leroy and Olivia Melton; On-Demand Video, 1st place for Soph Babiar, Julie Schettler, Jewel Leroy and Avery Houghton; Silent Film, 1st place for Allie Ward, Georgia Holm and Kai Krejci and 2nd place for Nola Strand, Kyrianna Ross and Elliot Tiegel; Children’s Story, 6th place for Soph Babiar and Julie Schettler; Coding, 6th place for Jaden Parker and Elliot Tiegel; Essay on Technology, 6th place for Kyrianna Ross; Prepared Speech, 5th place for Parker Pobst; Robotics Challenge, 4th place for Nevada Allen, Kikkan Brine and Kai Krejci. For the high school level: Fashion Design, 4th place for Danielle Totman and Madison Fish; Children’s Stories, 4th place for Mia Dreis; Dragster Design, 6th place for Antonio Aurillio; Board Game Design, 8th place for Quentin Farrell, Haakon Scheibler, Chase Runions and Anthony Villalobos; Music Production, 10th place for Quentin Farrell and Tillie Leroy.