Seven Baldwin County High School students won first place in the region Oconee RESA Regional Technology Fair Competition at Central Georgia Technical College and advanced to state in McDonough.
Freshman Maya placed first in project programming alongside senior Aaliyah. Juniors Sean and Logan placed first in 3D Modeling. Senior Kaitlyn placed first in digital photo production, senior Ayesha placed first in multimedia application, and senior Nasir placed first in device modification. For all students, except Kaitlyn and Maya, this was their first year competing in the technology fair. “The fair is open to third through twelfth grade students,” said Pam Longino, “We held our school level fair in November and 10 students moved onto region from that competition.
However, at regionals, only the first-place winner can move on to state.”
The school competition was held to mimic the regional competition and prepare students for a new addition to the competition, an interview process.
“I have helped with the technology fair since I worked at the elementary school level and I’ve learned our students just take what they learn and run with it,” said Longino. “The biggest improvement to the competition has been the inclusion of the interview process. At regional and state level they weigh heavily on the process and the interview part, which is crucial because it teaches students how to articulate and discuss their topics.
“Many of our students were nervous to participate in interviews so we selected a group outside of our facility to act as judges and give an authentic experience,” said Longino.
“In addition, the school fair serves to boost participation and let students know about the fair who may have not known about it otherwise.”
Students were able to choose what category they competed in and had a few months who prepare for the regional competition.
Each student that participated in the school competition received a rubric, like the one at regional and state, to review and improve upon.
Nasir stated he chose to compete in device modification because he was studying hybrid energy and wanted to modify a wind turbine and solar panel to work together.
Sean and Logan initially got into 3D modeling because of their interest in aerospace engineering and created a model of an aircraft.
“I chose project programming because I have a passion for game design. I love making games because it brings people together and it’s all about the enjoyment of the experience,” said Aliyah, summarizing her fellow contestants’ feelings. Each agreed they chose a category based on passion or interest.
Nasir, like Aliyah, stated the most important takeaway from competing was the experience.
“You have to go out and try new things, experience something new,” said Nasir.
It was a fun experience,” added Logan. “There were difficulties associated with the source material Sean and I pulled from but also from learning how to use the software, so there was a learning curve associated with creating that final product.”
The students also agreed that a positive impact of the competition was finding other students with similar passions and making connections.
“I think it's always nice to find people who share not just a single interest with me but multiple,” said Maya. “It can be hard to make connections without stepping outside your usual bubble.”
To prepare for state competition on March 1, students reviewed the facts behind their project, practiced the interview process, and worked on their presentation skills.
“While no students placed at the high school level in the state competition, we are very proud of their hard work and continued dedication to their projects,” said Longino. “We plan to host the tech fair at the school level annually and we hope participation will continue to grow.”