Local students prepare for 1st Tech Wars competition
There’s a new competition schools are getting ready for this term. It’s something called Tech Wars. Bonneville School District 93 is starting the competition at its high schools, and those who enter have a shot at hundreds of dollars in scholarship money and prizes.
Tech Wars has seven different technical skill groups: construction, electronics, auto-tech, auto-collision, welding, EMT and IT. Workers from different industries, teachers and past students will be the judges. In addition, local businesses are pitching in to help sponsor the event and provide prizes.
“We need people who are interested in this stuff, talented and ready to come to work and go into college, also, from this school. So we feel like it’s very important that we’re involved,” said Heidi Oyola, a representative from Idaho Steel Products who is providing scholarship money.
“We’re going to have competitions in every classroom. Students from Bonneville and Hillcrest, as well as Technical Careers High School, will be competing to win scholarship money,” said Angie Leblanc, the Technical Careers High School liaison.
In preparation, some students have already chosen which categories they’ll compete in.
“I’m observing in auto-tech and I’m competing in welding. I want to be a welding inspector after high school and there’s not a program where I can learn to do that,” said Bailey Peterson, a sophomore welding student at TCHS.
But TCHS provides the experience she wants, and the Tech Wars will be a place to showcase her skill.
The welding category will have three different competitions.
“One will be a gas metal arc welding, so a wire feed competition. Another one will be a stick welding competition. That’s for any student that wants to come over from Bonneville or Hillcrest. Come try it out. If you’ve never welded before, you can come try,” said TCHS welding instructor Brad Huntsman.
The third part of the welding competition will determine which students within the Skills USA organization on campus will go to nationals.
“I signed up for construction and IT, and I’m going to be observing welding,” said Trevan Nieder, a senior construction student.
Neider says for the construction competition, they’ll be working on a small room, “We’re going to be framing the walls and then we’re going to be putting up a steel wall — something that’s new to us that we don’t know how to do. So hopefully that goes well.”
Tech Wars will be on Tuesday at TCHS from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The campus is located behind the District 93 administration offices. Entry is only for students at Bonneville High School, Hillcrest High School and TCHS, but everyone is free to come by and watch.
Browse categories and sign up for Tech Wars here.