- State College Area High School
- State College Area High School
PFMS National TSA Award Winners
Penn State isn’t the only school in State College that can claim national champions.
This time, Park Forest Middle School has the honor.
At the virtual 43rd National Technology Student Association Conference and Competitions last month, Park Forest students took top place in the mass production, leadership strategies and medical technology categories. Additionally, Park Forest was the runner-up in the community service video category and fifth in the inventions and innovations category.
“This outstanding group of young individuals has exemplified the high standards of SCASD at the national TSA level of competition,” said technology education/STEM teacher Tim Dzurko, Park Forest’s TSA chapter advisor.
Natalie Branstetter, Harper House, Isabelle McSweeney, Sienna Sullivan and Margo Wyckoff helped claim first places while teammates Wyatt Angeli, Manahil Sabeeh and Leo Wang also contributed to Park Forest’s strong performance. Individually, Wyckoff and McSweeney finished seventh and 10th, respectively, in the prepared speech category. Wyckoff placed ninth in photography as well.
Park Forest’s triumph on the national stage followed a memorable state TSA competition that garnered nine champions, four runner-ups, two third-place finishers and 10 additional Top 10 finalist performances.
“Congratulations to your students and you for this achievement!” Superintendent Bob O’Donnell wrote to Dzurko. “Seeing your students commit to this late June conference and competition is impressive in and of itself, let alone the performance.”
According to TSA, the organization strives “to promote personal development, leadership, and education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through intra-curricular activities, competitions, and other programs.” In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TSA adapted more than 60 in-person STEM competitive events to a virtual environment during the 2020-2021 school year.
By Chris Rosenblum