TSA — the Technology Student Association — is the club for students who would rather make something than talk about it. It's a national organization for engineering and STEM students, and the FBHS chapter is where you plug your ideas, your skills, and your curiosity into something bigger than a class grade.
You already have access to the lab. TSA is what you do with it.
Colleges look for students who did something outside the classroom. TSA gives you competition placements, state and national travel, leadership positions, and a portfolio of real projects — the kind of resume material that puts you on the interesting pile.
• Georgia TSA scholarships and national conference travel scholarships
• The E.H. Culpepper Memorial scholarship for state-level winners
• Extra scholarship pathways for seniors continuing into technical colleges or STEM majors
• Placements you can list on applications, portfolios, and your ePortfolio
TSA members get to use the FBHS engineering lab for competition prep the way engineers actually use a shop — designing something, prototyping it, breaking it, fixing it, and finishing it under a deadline. This isn't a worksheet.
• AP Lasers CO₂ cutters and X-Tool metalfab
• Bambu 3D printers and the ABB robotic arm with the 3D-print cell
• Tormach XTech and 1100M CNC mills, Stepcraft Q404 CNC table, Squickman 4x8 plasma table
• Roland SG3-540 printer and embroidery machines
• SawStop, Rikon bandsaw, Powermatic planer — a real woodshop
• EV lab with a rotary lift for shift-lab EV cars
Most schools don't have this. Most colleges don't have this. If you're serious about engineering, TSA is how you actually get your hands on it.
TSA runs 40+ national high school events and Georgia TSA runs 70+ at the state level. There is a competition for whatever you're into — you don't have to be "the CAD kid" to belong.
• Build stuff: Animatronics, Architectural Design, Dragster Design, Flight Endurance, Structural Design, Manufacturing Prototype
• Code and design: Software Development, Video Game Design, Website Design, VEX Robotics, Coding challenges
• Make media: Photographic Technology, Digital Video Production, Music Production, Podcasting, Animatronics
• Solve and pitch: Engineering Design, Biotechnology Design, Fashion Design, Children's Stories, Board Game Design
• Lead and speak: Chapter Team, Prepared Presentation, Extemporaneous Speech, Debating Technological Issues, Parliamentary Procedure
• Compete on paper: TEAMS engineering challenge, Technology Bowl, Statesman Award
TSA gets you out of the building. In a typical year FBHS TSA members can attend up to four state conferences, plus nationals if you qualify:
• Fall CORE / Leadership Conference — chapter officer training, workshops, VEX qualifiers, and events like the Cardboard Boat Race and Sandcastle Challenge
• Georgia Tech Day — one-day rally at a venue like Six Flags or the Georgia National Fairgrounds with GA-only competitions and cash awards
• SLC — State Leadership Conference in Athens — the big one. Four days at The Classic Center every March. Compete against every TSA chapter in Georgia for trophies, finalist pins, and national travel scholarships. The EV Rally runs at Lanier Speedway.
• Nationals — top state finishers can qualify for the National TSA Conference. Recent host cities include Washington D.C. and Nashville.
Chapter officers run the meetings, plan the events, and run committees. State officer candidates go through interviews and represent Georgia. It's not a title you put on your bio — it's a real job with real expectations, which is exactly why it counts.
TSA is where the engineering, design, coding, and maker kids in the school end up together. You'll spend late nights in the lab prepping for events, ride buses to Athens together, share hotel rooms at nationals, and celebrate on stage when someone in your chapter finishes top 10 in the state. That doesn't happen in a normal club.
Georgia TSA runs some events you'll only find here. If you like anything with a motor, a hull, or a tower of duct tape, you'll like these:
• EV Race Circuit — our chapter can race electric vehicles built in the lab
• Cardboard Boat Race ("The Armada") — self-explanatory and every bit as dumb-fun as it sounds
• Over 70 competitive events — engineering and technology, something for everyone
• Signature GA-only events — seven of them at the Fall Leadership Conference, all included with registration
• Statesman Award — prove you know TSA history, parliamentary procedure, and national/state organization; required to run for state office
• Meetings — regular chapter meetings during the school year to plan, prep events, and hear from state officers or industry guests
• Event prep — pick 1–3 competitions and work on them across the fall and winter, in-class and after school when the lab is open
• Chapter service — TSA chapters are expected to run at least one community service project a year, which also builds your ePortfolio
• Fundraising and swag — chapter shirts, blazers for conference, and travel funds
• The blazer — yes, TSA has an official dress uniform for the SLC awards session. You will get a photo of yourself on the Classic Center stage. You'll want it.
Any FBHS student in or interested in the engineering pathway — Foundations, Concepts, Applications, or RDPM. You do not have to be a 4.0 kid, you do not have to know CAD, and you do not have to be the loudest person in the room. TSA needs builders, coders, writers, presenters, filmmakers, drivers, designers, and organizers. Bring whatever you're good at — we'll find a competition for it.
• Talk to Mr. Tison or Mr. Frederick
• Come to the next chapter meeting — dates posted on this site
• Pay chapter and state affiliation dues to become an official TSA member (required to compete)
• Pick your first competition and start prepping
You get one high school. You can spend it doing worksheets, or you can spend it building things, traveling with a team, and putting real accomplishments on your college applications. That's the pitch. Come see us.
Learn more: gatsa.org (Georgia TSA) · tsaweb.org (National TSA)