Technology Students Association went to the state TSA competition March 15-18 where they competed against 136 other Georgia high schools.

There were over 40 categories the team could compete in, and Starr’s Mill had a number of top ten finishes in many of them. 

Senior Katherine Shriner and freshman Kieran Bell placed second in the Fashion Design and Technology category. They will be going to Nashville for Nationals this summer. 

In the Fashion Design and Technology category, students are tasked with creating a wearable prototype garment that incorporates both technology and the chosen theme for the year, which was the Oscars. They then have to walk in front of the judges and give a presentation about their prototype. 

Starr’s Mill students created a two-part dress based off of 2023 fashion trends that incorporates lights embedded in the skirt and belt buckle. The entire process of designing and planning, taking measurements, getting materials, cutting, sewing, and adding the lights took about five months. 

“Presentation would be the biggest thing I would change,” freshman Kieran Bell said. “Most of the presentation that we did at state was improv. We will definitely need to make a script for next time, and then memorize it and go from there.”

As well as Fashion Design and Technology, Starr’s Mill also placed in the top ten for the Electric Vehicle Race. The team worked together to create a battery-powered and drivable vehicle that they would race against other teams.

“It’s always growing and learning,” engineering teacher Rob Bell said. “What we [learned] from the previous competition was to expand the number of races by changing out battery classes, going from lead acid to lithium iron phosphate so we could have two races.”

Even though the team had a few technical issues in the first race, they were able to think on their feet, make adjustments, and place eighth overall in the second race. 

“[The new batteries] slightly hampered [the students] because they never raced those batteries before, but they were able to make changes on the fly to the software to prevent the batteries from overheating,” Bell said. 

There will be other Electric Vehicle Races held in May that the team is hoping to go to. The Fashion Design and Technology pair will be going to Nationals at the end of June.