Carver High School TSA Students Bring Home 1st Place Wins at State Event, Pursue STEM Fields

The technical organization inspires students to pursue STEM degrees and careers.

Carver High School — Dr. Porcia West stands with Samir Hassam a TSA member. He advanced to nationals in 2014 after placing at the state event. Samir formed part of the 2015 Class. He will study at the University of Texas in Austin to major in mechanical engineering.

Several [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Technology Student Association members from [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Carver High School reached their goal this year. All three took home first place wins at the TSA State Competition. The event took place this spring in Waco. They now advance to the national competition.

The engineering program at Carver High uses Project Lead the Way or PLTW. The PLTW curriculum comprises a set of STEM project-based activities in which students must solve problems. These activities provide hands-on experiences for students. The goal is to teach key elements and skills of STEM-based careers. To achieve this, teachers immerse students in rigorous problems.

To compete at the state TSA competition, students must place at the regional level. Students spend hours after school preparing for the state competition. They work on perfecting their skill level for their individual or team events.

The team of Alejandro Cantú and Jesús Flores won first place in technology problem-solving. Fellow classmate Bruce Westbrook also earned a first place win in the pencil and pen individual event. The three formed part of the Class of 2015.

Dr. Porcia West is proud of the students. She serves as one of three TSA advisors at the campus. The other advisors are Landy Fair and Suresh Shah.

“I am proud of what these students accomplished,” said West. “They went up against the best students from across the state. I am hopeful this level of experience will carry over into their post-secondary education and life.“

The problem-solving event involves students working together as a team. They must develop and create a solution to a problem using the limited materials provided and the tools allowed. Completed solutions are objectively measured. The judges look for the best and most effective solution for the stated problem.

In the pen making and woodturning events, students need skill to use a lathe. The machine turns or drives the block of the pen material pen. Students must smooth, cut, drill, and shape the pen proportionally. The art of woodturning is about displaying the natural beauty of the wood grain.

Alejandro, Jesús and Bruce have enjoyed taking part in the [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]TSA program at their campus.

Jesús Flores & Alejandro Cantú

“I have been a member of TSA for four years,” said Alejandro. “TSA gives students opportunity to prove their potential. For students pursuing STEM careers, TSA gives you the opportunity to show your knowledge in engineering.“

Alejandro Jesús competed in the problem solving event for four years. They placed sixth in their junior year at state, but this did not advance them to nationals.

“We made a lot of progress since our high school freshman year,” added Alejandro. “Now, after four years of trying we head to nationals.”

He stated that the problem-solving event is difficult. It involves a lot of quick thinking and planning.

“The challenging part is the time limit you have and the tools you get. You would think it’s easy to design and build a catapult with a rubber band and a bunch of scrap items. I can tell you that is is definitely NOT easy.

“I feel great knowing we are among the best problem solvers in Texas. We tried hard to get to where we are now.”

Alejandro will start his college freshman year at Lone Star College this fall. He is majoring in civil engineering.

His teammate Jesús agrees with him.

“I’ve been a member of TSA since middle school,” Jesús said. “State competitions are challenging and fun. Like Alejandro pointed out, problem solving involves the ability to think on the spot. Every year the topic is different. So you never know what to expect. You just show up with your toolbox and start working on the topic they give. I guess that element of surprise is what I love so much about problem solving.

“Placing first in problem solving at state was really a big accomplishment.”

Jesús is set to attend Texas State University where he will study computer engineering.

Bruce was in the TSA program during his last two years at Carver High School. He didn’t exactly jump at the idea to compete in pen making. But Bruce found a skill and a passion that drove him to excel.

Bruce Westbrook

“I got involved in TSA when I was looking for more after-school opportunities that would allow me to have fun,” said Bruce. “I have never regretted my decision to join. As a member of TSA, you have one of the best groups of advisors.“

“They guide students in the TSA events they choose to compete in. The advisors help students discover talents they don’t even know they have.”

Bruce initially wanted to compete in the problem solving event. But there were certain requirements to compete in this event. Then he got an opportunity in other event when the team needed a back-up guy. The event was pen making.

“Competing with pens was not an attractive topic in my mind,” related Bruce. “No one ever goes up to the guy that makes pens and says, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re so cool.’ It happened to be one of my hidden talents that Mr. Fair stumbled upon.

“Making pens was addictive for me. I noticed how people who saw the process and finished product admired the patience and skill that it takes to make a pen. I didn’t know that in the beginning. Winning first place to me is a pretty cool thing. It is nice to know that out of all the young TSA pen makers in the state, my pens are among the best.”

Bruce starts his college career this fall at Texas A&M University in College Station. He is majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in Spanish language and culture.

Congratulations to the 2015 graduates and state TSA winners!

Carver High School made [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]U.S. News & World Report‘s Best High Schools in the U.S. 2015 rankings. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Carver is a magnet school that focuses on engineering, applied technology and the arts.