Manheim Township has its own Technology and Engineering Club (MTTEC) that competes in Technology Student Association (TSA) competitions. TSA is a nationwide organization for STEM-related competitions that offers students the opportunity to develop critical life skills like collaboration, communication and problem-solving. Middle school and high school students nationwide participate in TSA.
Township’s MTTEC meets twice a week for club meetings, where students have time to prepare for their annual competition. At the start of the school year, students are able to choose which events they’d like to compete in at the competition. Each event has a specific STEM-related theme or challenge that students will reference when creating their projects. A few examples of some of these events’ themes include architecture, coding, graphic design and even video game design. From there, once events are chosen, students use club time to collaborate with teammates, brainstorm solutions, make sketches and create visual renderings with CAD Software or build physical models.
“One of the student projects this year was the creation of a tripod that would help contribute to scientific research and discovery by creating a prototype that is effective in the elements or outside,” said sophomore club member Ryan Palandjian.
The club’s annual competition is a regional conference where they compete in 40 different events, aiming to place higher than the 12 other high schools from the Lancaster-Lebanon area.
“The regional conference is an all-day event where students submit their projects and/or participate in on-site events. Judges score event entries based on detailed rubrics to determine placement,” said club adviser, Mr. Whitby.
On Jan. 4, the MTTEC team competed in the TSA Regional Conference at Conestoga Valley High School and delivered an exceptional performance. They earned first place in 12 events, second place in 15 events, third place in 12 events and they placed in an additional 22 events. Since the MTTEC team ranked outstandingly in the competition, they have secured themselves a spot in the state conference.
The state conference is the next competition that the team will be participating in. Looking at the results of their placement in their previous conference, they have a guaranteed spot in the state competition. This competition will take place at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort from April 15 to 18. The regional and state conferences are what the MTTEC team has been mainly preparing for this year, so the team now looks ahead to the upcoming competition.
