TSA Week was October 5-9

"What is TSA?" is a question we get asked very often. The Technology Student Association (TSA) is an organization of students engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). TSA chapters take the study of STEM beyond the classroom by giving students the opportunity to pursue academic challenges among friends with similar goals and interests. Our chapters are committed to a national service project and are among the most service-oriented groups in the community.

TSA Week is an opportunity for chapters to create awareness of TSA in schools, communities, and to showcase activities and accomplishments. It also emphasizes the importance of TSA's primary goal, which is to provide opportunity, knowledge, and skills to those who are committed to learning about technology. Members can help raise awareness by activities such as field trips to local technology businesses, open house events for parents, and chapter-sponsored community service work.

Technology Student Association was affiliated in Montana in 1991 and Saco is one of the founding chapter. Saco High School has been very involved for the last twenty five years boosting to have 23 state officers for the past 25 years, starting with Montana TSA first State President Shyla Taylor (Clausen) and Jennifer Stahl as first State Secretary. Saco's TSA advisor, Dwight Freeman has been Saco's Advisor for all of the years and served as the Montana state advisor for at least 15 years and currently the Montana Co-State Advisor. Dwight Freeman was named Montana's Technology Student Chapter Advisor of the Year and received the award at the 2015 National Conference in Dallas, TX.

The 2015 National TSA Conference was a great learning opportunity for the state officers who attended the conference in Dallas, TX. The TSA officers attending were State President Chris DePuydt and State Reporter Chandler Pippin from Saco HS, Sargent at Arms Trace Simonson and State Secretary Kayleigh Cummings from Whitewater HS and State Vice President Jazzamyn Benson and State Treasurer Shailee Fetter of Harlem HS along with State Co-Advisors Dwight Freeman Saco HS and Craig Todd from Harlem HS. At the National conference in Dallas, the attendees got to meet new people, see many events, and compete along with attending Leadership training. The officers split up into three teams to compete in the On-Demand Video. In this even teams have two days to make a 60 second video with given props and a saying that have to be included in the video. Two of the officers, Chandler Pippin and Chris DePuydt, also received the Bronze Community Service award for doing 100 hours of community service.

Saco's TSA chapter is in the process on developing a community service project and also preform a variety of activities for fund raisers to earn funds to attend the state conference on April 11-12. TSA is currently taking orders for their annual Poinsettia sale and will be selling fruit soon. Saco also makes trophies for the state conference and the students are logging community service online along with other Career and Technology Student Organizations (CTSO's) such as FCCLA, BPA, FFA, DECCA, HOSA in accordance with the requirements stated in HB86 (a funding bill from . the Montana legislature to the CTSO's for developing leadership skills).