Frelinghuysen Middle School tech team scores big at state, national contests

Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals 2018 Atlanta Team: Vaughn Hays, Brian Luvalle, Alexis Feeney, Audrey Fox, Milind Bangalore, Ashley Martinez
Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals 2018 Atlanta Team: Vaughn Hays, Brian Luvalle, Alexis Feeney, Audrey Fox, Milind Bangalore, Ashley Martinez
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From the Morris School District:

FRELINGHUYSEN MIDDLE SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
TAKES TOP HONORS AT NATIONAL AND STATE COMPETITIONS,
FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

The Frelinghuysen Middle School Technology Student Association (TSA) team has just returned from the annual national competition in Atlanta, GA, with top honors in several categories.

The national competition attracts top qualifiers from state TSA competitions, and draws over 8,000 middle and high school STEM students competing in over 60 events each year.

The Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA State Team.
The Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA State Team.

This year’s FMS Nationals team is comprised of advisor and STEM Instructor Harrison Scheerer, along with eighth graders Milind Bangalore, Alexis Feeney, Audrey Fox, Vaughn Hays, Brian Luvalle and Ashley Martinez, and sixth grader Naomi Williams.

Vaughn Hays, Brian Luvalle and Milind Bangalore, Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals 2018 TechBowl
Vaughn Hays, Brian Luvalle and Milind Bangalore, Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals 2018 TechBowl

Five of the seven students were return competitors from last year’s national competition in Orlando.

On their way to the national competition, a team of 22 FMS students took multiple first-place and second-place finishes at the NJ State TSA competition at the The College of New Jersey on March 28, 2018. Several teammates out-competed hundreds of other students to earn their spots in Atlanta.

NJ STATE TSA RESULTS

FLIGHT, FIRST PLACE: Alexis Feeney
TECH BOWL, FIRST PLACE: Milind Bangalore, Vaughn Hays, Brian Luvalle
PREPARED SPEECH, SECOND PLACE: Naomi Williams

In Atlanta, the FMS Nationals team competed along with over 8000 other students from 2000 schools spanning the entire country, as well as international teams.

Incredibly, every member of the FMS TSA team in Atlanta made it to the final rounds of competition and placed as a Top Ten Nationalist in at least one of their competitions. (Several teammates accomplished this feat in multiple events.)

Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals 2018 Forensics: Alexis Feeney and Audrey Fox
Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals 2018 Forensics: Alexis Feeney and Audrey Fox

It was an honor and truly exciting for the team to take the stage repeatedly to be recognized in front of peers and competitors for their knowledge, sportsmanship, and effort, all of which earned them top placements among thousands in this highly competitive and respected national technology event.

NATIONAL TSA RESULTS

FORENSICS, THIRD PLACE: Alexis Feeney and Audrey Fox
MASS PRODUCTION, THIRD PLACE: Milind Bangalore and Audrey Fox
TECH BOWL, FIFTH PLACE: Milind Bangalore, Vaughn Hays, and Brian Luvalle
CAREER PREP, SEVENTH PLACE: Ashley Martinez
CODING, SEVENTH PLACE: Milind Bangalore and Brian Luvalle

None of this would be possible without the mentorship and commitment from Mr. Scheerer, who has dedicated hundreds of after-school hours, travel time, and of course, his knowledge and expertise to guide these students to the levels they’ve achieved. The team has also benefited from the support of the FMS administration as well as the Morris Educational Foundation.

All of the Atlanta FMS competitors will be ascending to Morristown High School in the fall and fully intend to extend and expand the TSA Dream Team in their freshman year.

Mr. Scheerer plans to continue to grow the already incredibly successful program at the middle school. Morris School District can look forward to many more great things to come from this exceptional TSA team and program!

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION

Ashley Martinez, Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals Career Prep
Ashley Martinez, Frelinghuysen Middle School TSA Nationals Career Prep

The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a national organization of students engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Open to students enrolled in or who have completed technology education courses, TSA’s membership includes over 250,000 middle and high school students in approximately 2,000 schools spanning 48 states.

TSA is supported by educators, parents, and business leaders who believe in the need for a technologically literate society. Members learn through exciting competitive events, leadership opportunities, and much more.

ABOUT THE TSA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2018

Approximately 8,000 middle and high school student members from across the country attended the 2018 National Technology Student Association Conference from June 22nd to 26th at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

TSA provides rules and guidelines for over 60 middle school and high school competitions held at the annual national TSA conference. Students are challenged to use and improve their STEM skills in both team and individual events in such areas as: communication; design and engineering; environmental systems; transportation; and manufacturing/construction.

All competitions are aligned with STEM standards; ten core leadership skills (communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, decision making, ethics, evaluation, organization, problem solving, self-esteem, and teamwork); and The 16 Career Clusters.

This year’s conference theme was “A Celebration of Success,” as TSA marked its 40th anniversary of enhancing personal development, leadership, and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through intracurricular activities, competitions, and other programs.

More than 250,000 TSA student members in schools across the United States are “learning to lead in a technical world.”

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