Florida 3rd Place Tsa Video Game Design

ORLANDO — Manatee County added to its tradition of excellence at the Annual Technology Student Association State Conference held earlier this month in Orlando. More than 1,850 middle and high school students, advisors, chaperones and guests from across Florida competed.

Manatee sent 320 students from 11 schools—Braden River High, Lakewood Ranch High, Palmetto High, Southeast High, Braden River Middle, Buffalo Creek Middle, Haile Middle, Johnson Middle, King Middle, Lee Middle and Nolan Middle—to the event.

This year's Florida TSA Conference consisted of competitive events representing a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills from animatronics, and biotechnology to video game design, and webmaster.

Manatee County students brought home 99 of the 213 available event trophies (32 first-place event trophies, 39 second-place trophies, and 28 third-place trophies).

"Congratulations to our Manatee County TSA teachers and schools who have gone the extra mile year-after-year to ensure our students have the best skills and knowledge to lead them to success in a technical world" said Kelli Kennedy, ACT Curriculum Specialist.

The Outstanding School Award is given to the schools in the Top Ten, based on a calculation of all event placements for the entire conference for all student competitors with a first-place win equating 10 points and a 10th place finish equating 1 point.

Braden River High earned first-place and Southeast High, third-place. Haile Middle earned first-place overall at the middle school level.

Manatee County swept the coveted CO2 Dragster at both the middle school level taking 1st (Buffalo Creek), 2nd (Johnson) and 3rd (Braden River) and the high school level 1st (Braden River), 2nd (Palmetto) and 3rd (Braden River).

Manatee County swept high school level events in Future Technology Teacher taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and also Promotional Design taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd

At the Middle school level, Manatee swept the Chapter Team taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd, Microcontroller Design taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, Technology Bowl taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and Prepared Speech taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

"We are proud of all the students who enroll in our programs, their teachers, and schools." said Doug Wagner, Deputy Superintendent of Operations (Interim), Executive Director of Adult, Career and Technical Education.

The students started with their TSA projects in the fall, competed at Manatee County District events in December, and continued to work tirelessly during the weekends and after school in the months leading up to the State Conference. Students will be heading to the National Conference that will take place June 28 – July 2 at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland.