STEM Stars Take Flight: Hazelwood Central Sends Record Nine Students to TSA Nationals

 

Hazelwood Central High School is making school history.

For the first time, nine students from Hazelwood Central’s Technology Student Association (TSA) chapter have qualified for the TSA National Conference, which will take place this June in Washington, D.C. The accomplishment marks the largest group of students the school has ever sent to the national STEM competition.

The milestone is especially significant for a chapter in its fourth year.

“This is the largest group we’ve taken to nationals,” said TSA adviser and computer science teacher Russell Juengel. “I was just blown away by it.”

For Juengel, who also served as Missouri TSA state president, the achievement reflects years of growth, perseverance, and confidence-building among his students.

“I’m just ecstatic,” he said. “What I’m most proud of is that they’re becoming more comfortable trying, communicating, and taking that extra step that they wouldn’t have taken a year ago.”

TSA challenges students to apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills in real-world competitions. Events range from coding and architecture to podcasting, children’s stories, board game design, and video game development.

Hazelwood Central students excelled in several categories this year, including:

Board Game Design – 1st Place

Video Game Design – 1st Place

Webmaster – 2nd Place

Children’s Stories – 3rd Place

Audio Podcasting – Qualified for Nationals

Geospatial Technology – Qualified for Nationals

Senior Kaz Colebank, a three-year TSA member, helped lead projects in Children’s Stories, Board Game Design, and Audio Podcasting.

“Don’t be afraid to try something,” Colebank said. “If you fail, try it again next year.”

Her advice comes from experience. In her first year competing, Colebank poured her heart into a children’s book project but struggled during the interview portion and did not place.

“I cried about it on the way home,” she recalled.

Rather than giving up, she returned stronger. One year later, she earned second place. This year, she and her teammates advanced to nationals.

For senior Sidney Marchino, this was her first year in TSA, and it quickly became one of the most rewarding experiences of her high school career.

“I would not have done it if I didn’t have friends,” Marchino said. “That was the biggest drive.”

Marchino worked with teammates to create a 3-D children’s book about beetles and helped design an original board game. She said seeing other students admire their work at the state conference made all the long hours worth it.

“It’s worth it in the end because of the amount of confidence you get,” she said.

Sophomore Jason Kogbara described TSA as more than a competition.

“It’s a place where I actually want to be,” Kogbara said. “It’s nice to be around people who share the same goals and ambitions as you.”

Junior Kyle Plair, whose team earned first place in Video Game Design, said TSA transformed a personal passion into a national opportunity.

“Thanks to TSA, I actually had a reason to make a prototype of my game and show it off,” Plair said.

Students say one of the most exciting parts of nationals is meeting thousands of peers from around the world.

“You get to meet students from different cultures and backgrounds,” Kogbara said. “You remember this for the rest of your life.”

Marchino is eager to experience Washington, D.C., for the first time, while Colebank is excited to see the innovative projects from students across the country.

“I’m excited to see everybody else’s stuff,” Colebank said. “It’s really fun to see all the other ideas people had.”

While students admit they are nervous—especially about transporting fragile projects on the airplane—the anticipation far outweighs the anxiety.

“I’m pretty excited to see what’s out there,” Plair said.

For many students, TSA is helping shape future career goals in fields such as computer science, cybersecurity, and data science.

“What they’re learning in school can be applied,” Juengel said. “There’s no one direct path. You can take your interests and turn them into a career.”

Whether students are coding websites, designing games, or creating 3-D printed storybooks, they are developing critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills that will serve them well beyond high school.

As Hazelwood Central’s largest TSA team prepares to represent Missouri on the national stage, they are proving that innovation begins when students are willing to take a chance.

“Don’t be scared to try new things,” Marchino said.

That willingness to step outside their comfort zones has already taken these Hawks farther than ever before—and their journey is only beginning.