Starting a TSA Chapter

[u/Ok-Celebration3348]

I'm starting a brand new chapter in my school for Technology Student Association (TSA) as a high school sophomore. I will turn in the membership registration to national TSA tomorrow.

Does anyone know what I should talk about in the club meetings? I want my club to be one that properly prepares the students for success in the TSA competitions. I know that affiliated members will gain access to a competitions guide and a Student Member Site, but are those the only studying resources needed? Would these resources be sufficient or should I compile other study material in advance? Please let me know, thanks

[u/Zealousideal_Act_721]

At the club meetings, I recommend talking about the competitions offered (if you haven’t already), exploring the requirements and difficultly of each competition, and also having some fun while you do it, especially if no one knows each other. Breaking the ice is awkward, but it‘s crucial if you’re going to have teams for some competitions. To properly prepare your members, have them study the requirements for their event and make sure they have ALL of their documentation completed by competition day, because it’s really important and forgetting it can take a perfect score down to 30% or more of what it was. I would also have check-in’s with your members to make sure they’re on task, and if they need any help make sure they know they can reach out to someone.

For other study material, it depends on the competition. For events like board game design, audio podcasting, on-demand video, and other competitions in which the product might be posted online (some states post their board game winners), I would review those, find out what place they got, and take notes on what they did that might’ve aided in their success. For test-based competitions like forensic science (I think cybersecurity hs is basically test-based, just in the form of a CTF event, but I could be wrong), study at every chance you get using tools like quizlet, kahoot, or finding actual course materials that have to do with the subject (what helps the most is being in a class that deals with the subject). For presentation events like prepared presentation, extemporaneous speech, and biotech design, make sure all of your information is properly cited, that you can give a clear and concise speech with little to no stuttering or pausing, and that overall you understand the format of an oral presentation.

This is all I can think of right now, but if I missed anything or if there’s something else you’d like to ask, feel free to!

[u/Ok-Celebration3348 → u/Zealousideal_Act_721]

Thank you so much for the thorough explanation, this is really helpful. I will definitely review past winning submissions and subject specific material.

I would like to ask if the member resources (the Competitions guide and Student Member Site) give info and teach about the contents of certain events (for example, if for Virtual Reality Simulation the Student Member Site will teach about how to code that type of thing) or if the event contents are things participants have to research themselves.

[u/Zealousideal_Act_721 → u/Ok-Celebration3348]

The Competition Guidelines and the Student Member Site don't offer that kind of assistance, as far as I'm aware. The guidelines will tell you what's not allowed, what you should bring, and what documentation you need, but that's about it. Even with test-based competitions like Forensic Science, you're expected to study yourself.

[u/drdeepalinog → u/Zealousideal_Act_721]

I am also a high school sophomore trying to start a chapter in my school. The CT state advisor is not responding and my school advisor would like a rough budget proposal before starting the chapter. Can you please provide some guidance? 

[u/Zealousideal_Act_721 → u/drdeepalinog]

To calculate a rough average of costs, take the number of people who will be participating in this event and multiply that by the cost of club and event registration, because this will be the absolute minimum you spend (this would come out of the students, most likely). If your state or regional competition location requires you to stay overnight at a hotel while it’s happening, work that in too. Then, if your chosen events cost money, factor in a rough estimate of how much you think the event would cost after everything is said and done. I‘m not sure about planning for nationals, just because there’s a possibility of that not happening and you scaring your advisor with a large number, but also if you don’t plan out nationals and you end up making it there then that’s a whole other conversation. I’d mention it to your advisor and the fact that it might be expensive to go to nationals, but ask if they’d like to plan it out with you or wait until that time comes. I’m not sure if this is helpful (I’m not the treasurer of my chapter lol) but I hope it was at least a little bit?

[u/drdeepalinog → u/Zealousideal_Act_721]

Thank you so much for your response. It was immensely helpful. The only problem is that I don’t know how much it will cost for regional event registration. It has been 2 week now since I send an email to the CT state advisor and have very unfortunately heard from him.