GAHS, GAMS student innovators earn state honors, advance to nationals

Our GAHS and GAMS Warriors brought their best to the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference, and it showed! 

Students competed in a wide range of events at the conference last month, showcasing innovation, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving. Many of our teams placed at the state level, representing our district with excellence.

Leading the way, freshmen Noah Puckett, Ryan Rudisill, and Henry Russell earned spots to compete at the National TSA Conference, which is an incredible accomplishment that reflects their dedication and drive.

Puckett, Rudisill, and Russell will compete at the Technology Bowl event together at the national conference from June 22-26 in Washington, DC. Technology Bowl is a three-person team competition, beginning with a STEM knowledge test and advancing to a seeded buzzer-style tournament.

"TSA has taught me about the role of leadership in today's technological world," Russell said. "I'm excited to meet ambitious youth and discover innovative opportunities at the national conference."

Puckett and Rudisill will also compete in Robotics and Manufacturing Prototype, while Puckett and Russell will participate in Forensics. Puckett also qualified to participate in Prepared Presentation. 

"We were very surprised and elated that we took home first place," Puckett said of the Robotics competition.

Puckett and Rudisill previously took third place in Robotics at the regional level, earning their spot to compete at the state conference.

"We learned a lot from the regional competition," Puckett said. "The judge arranged some obstacles in ways we did not expect. We had a good run until about half way when one of our wheels fell off. Even with three wheels, we managed to complete some more obstacles." 

The two "completely redesigned the robot from the wheels up," according to Puckett. They utilized loctite to set screws on the shaft collar, incorporated big structural changes, and engineered specific mechanisms for the different tasks, Puckett said.

For the Robotics competition, they needed to complete five separate tasks within 10 minutes. Puckett said they were able to successfully complete all tasks with four minutes remaining.

Other events, like Forensics, features a written exam, followed by semifinal qualifiers that include a mock crime scene investigation, evidence collection, reporting, and an interview. Manufacturing Prototype is a multi-stage event requiring a designed prototype and detailed documentation, with preliminary rounds on both followed by a semifinal design pitch and interview, if they qualify, while Prepared Presentation is an individual event centered on an annual theme. The theme was on Rock, Paper, and Scissors and which tool had the greatest impact on human civilization, and Puckett said he selected "Rock," for his presentation.

"I am quite excited to try again with Prepared Presentation at the national level," Puckett added.

 

GAHS Results

First Place

• Robotics: Noah Puckett and Ryan Rudisill

Fourth Place

• Technology Bowl: Ekin Ozgur

Sixth Place

• Engineering Design: Alexa Codori, Ava Fair, Ashley Richwine, and Samantha Scheungrab

Seventh Place

• Manufacturing Prototype: Noah Puckett and Ryan Rudisill

Eighth Place

• Prepared Presentation: Noah Puckett

Ninth Place

• Webmaster: Aiden Mahoney

• Technology Bowl: Henry Russell

10th Place

• Technology Problem Solving: Maxton Bard and Evan Mahoney

GAMS Results

Third Place

• PA - Battling Bots: Leo Rice and Brant Treadway, Jr.

• Technology Bowl: Patrick Hiller

Fourth Place

• Technical Design: Campbell Thurston and Violet Bolitho

Fifth Place

• PA Battling Bots: Caleb Smith, Patrick Hiller, Jacob Hiller, and Brantley Roser

Sixth Place

• Robotics: Tyler Branch, Uriel Urbina Flores, Carter Frazier, and Colin Frazier

Eighth Place

• PA - Digital Video Challenge: Campbell Thurston and Violet Bolitho

Ninth Place

• PA - Snapshot: Elaine He

• Robotics: Brixham Joye, Lincoln Boritt, and Dawson Bakner

• Technology Bowl: Klaus Andresen, Addison Fulton, and Patrick Hiller

• Video Game Design: Derin Loddo and Isaac Young