Okay, I got some good news – I mean really good news – and some bad news for you.
First, the good news.
The Roselle Park Technology Student Association/Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (TSA/STEM) Exploration Team has qualified to compete in the TSA National Championship in Nashville, Tennessee.
There were over 50 schools competing at the New Jersey TSA 2016 State High School Conference on April 16th at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Some of the participating schools specialized in technology and design, yet the high school of a square-mile town in Union County which is neither a technology or engineering high school took 1st place in two events, 2nd place in four events and 3rd place in one event. The hard work paid off and the team advanced to a national competitive level.
Just for the record, here are the categories that RPHS shined:
Architectural Renovation [3rd Place]
- Casey J. Crown
- Joshua A. Franco
- Samantha M. Graves
- Sebastian Leo
- Manuel Luna-Ramirez
- Julian D. Victoria
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) [1st Place]
- Sabrina Lasalle
Dragster Design [2nd Place]
- Angel F. Castillo
Music Production [1st Place]
- Christina S. Rodden
- Sabrina Lasalle
VEX Robotics – Head-To-Head [2nd Place]
- Aib Acob
- Angel F. Castillo
- Garrett C. Maney
- Brandon M. Mishoe
- Jonathan Perez
- Manuel Luna-Ramirez
VEX Robotics – Robot Skills Challenge [2nd Place]
- Aib Acob
- Angel F. Castillo
- Ricardo Mendez Luna
- Garrett C. Maney
- Brandon M. Mishoe
- Jonathan Perez
Video Game Design [2nd Place]
- Saavi R. Dhingra
- Laura D. Howell
- Christian L. Luciano
- Brandon M. Mishoe
17 students from one small school placed in seven categories.
Now the bad news.
As they are a fairly new team, there is no available funding in the school district budget to sponsor the team to travel to Tennessee for the competition. The event is from June 28 till July 2nd but the pre-registration deadline is June 3rd; less than a month away.
Now some more good news.
Where there is a will . . . You can help the team represent Roselle Park and have them put RPHS on the map on a national level in technology and education since the National Conference expects around 7,000 people from all across the country to attend.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise $5,000 so the team can go to Nashville. So far, over $2,300 has been donated from residents to help the TSA/STEM Exploration Team reach their goal. And yes, every dollar helps. Just one dollar from every resident would more than cover the cost.
So click on the GoFundMe web page link (here) and put in a dollar or two or five or ten. You will have a part in making history and bringing Roselle Park national recognition in the sciences.
Hopefully, a follow-up article will announce that the team is on its way to Tennessee but if for some reason the goal is not reached, any money raised will be used to buy supplies for the TSA/STEM Exploration program at RPHS.
So just go ahead, click a mouse, type some keys, hit enter, and help in building Roselle Park’s reputation for education. Let the nation see what a small town from Union County in New Jersey can do.