STUDENTS ATTEND NATIONAL TSA CONFERENCE
Hawkins ISD students attended the national Technology Student Association (TSA) contest in Baltimore under the leadership of Mr. Bob Behnke, with their construction team placing 3rd out of 67 teams nationally and their VEX robotics team placing 8th out of a field of 23 teams at the national level.

STUDENTS TAKE HONORS AT COMPETITION
Twenty-five Chapel Hill High School drafting students qualified for State Technology Students Association competition on May 6 in Waco, said Tony Adams, drafting teacher at CHHS. They were awarded 102 total ribbons distributed as follows: 22 Best in Class, 46 first place; 22 second place; two third place; State Class 3A School Awards; second high-point average; third high-point total; and National Onsite Team qualifiers, Adams said.

TECH PREP FUNDS AWARDED TO EAST TEXAS SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN 2009 - 2010
The East Texas Tech Prep Consortium awarded $115,900 in funds to area ISD's and community colleges during the 2009 - 2010 grant year. The requirement for high schools to apply for funds was that the ISD must report Tech Prep students in PEIMS Code 3. The requirement for community colleges to apply for funds was that they must have state-approved Tech Prep programs and report Tech Prep students on state reports. The amounts awarded were:

ISD's & Colleges
Arp ISD	$750.00
Beckville ISD	$500.00
Chapel Hill ISD	$1,000.00
Cross Roads ISD	$500.00
Eustace ISD	$1,000.00
Grand Saline ISD	$750.00
Harleton ISD	$750.00
Harmony ISD	$750.00
Hawkins ISD	$500.00
Henderson ISD	$1,500.00
Jacksonville ISD	$1,500.00
Karnack ISD	$500.00
Kilgore ISD	$1,500.00
Malakoff ISD	$750.00
Martin's Mill ISD	$500.00
Neches ISD	$500.00
New Diana ISD	$750.00
Ore City ISD	$750.00
Palestine ISD	$1,000.00
Quitman ISD	$750.00
Rains ISD	$1,000.00
Spring Hill ISD	$900.00
Tatum ISD	$1,000.00
Union Grove ISD	$750.00
Waskom ISD	$500.00
Westwood ISD	$1,000.00
Whitehouse ISD	$3,500.00
Winona ISD	$750.00
Kilgore College	$22,500.00
Panola College	$22,500.00
Trinity Valley Community College	$22,500.00
Tyler Junior College	$22,500.00
TOTAL AWARDS:	$115,900.00

EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS
"Expanding Your Horizons"™ is a national program of the Math/Science Network designed to encourage young women to enroll in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, increasing the retention rate in those programs.

The Expanding Your Horizons STEM Career Conference is a partnership between The East Texas STEM Center at The University of Texas at Tyler (UT Tyler), The East Texas Tech Prep Consortium, and American Association of University Women (AAUW) Tyler. Held on the UT Tyler campus, Saturday, February 20, 2010, more than 200 middle school girls had the opportunity to interact with area women who use STEM in their careers.

Tech Prep staffer Monica Davis served as a co-chair for the conference as well as a Role Model presenter, conducting a session on LEGO robotics, to the young girls. Some of the schools in the LEGO Robotics session were Brownsboro, Elkhart, Jacksonville, Palestine, West Rusk, Westwood, and Yantis.

Remarks –

Blanca Mentado, an eighth-grader at Jacksonville Middle School, came with her class and won a drawing for a $1,000 donation from the AAUW Tyler fund to use at her school in math and science classes.

TECH PREP STAFFER HONORED
Congratulations to the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce’s Volunteer of the Quarter, Monica Davis. Monica is a member of the Chamber’s Education/Human Resource Committee. Monica has chaired the Groundhog Job-Shadowing Day the last two years and has done such a great job, it has been suggested she be chair for many years to come!!

LEGO
The East Texas Tech Prep Consortium sponsors a LEGO presentation for 8th graders in the consortium's region. LEGO is a fun, engaging, hands-on way enabling students to discover science, technology, engineering and math. LEGO stimulates students' creative, problem-solving, and teamwork skills and challenges them to come up with their own ideas and working together with others. Time limits for this presentation are according to your school's schedule. If interested in a presentation for your school or for more information contact:

Monica Davis, Administrative Associate
East Texas Tech Prep Consortium
3900 University Blvd.
Tyler, TX 75799
(903) 566-7319
mdavis@uttyler.edu

In 2009 - 2010, the following schools received a LEGO Robotics presentation:

Alba-Golden
Cayuga
Elysian Fields
Frankston
Fruitvale
Kilgore
Longview
Overton
Pine Tree
Spring Hill
Troup
Tyler
Yantis

TECH PREP STAFF ASSISTS WITH TECHNOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION, EAST TEXAS
Monica Davis with the Tech Prep staff assisted Dr. Mark Miller, as a contest judge, with the regional TSA Leadership Conference on April 16, 2010 at Tyler Junior College, West Campus. Twelve schools sent representatives to the event with approximately 150 students in attendance.

PEIMS TRAININGS
The East Texas Tech Prep Consortium conducted PEIMS Trainings for CTE personnel, counselors, administrators, PEIMS Coordinators, teachers and staff on the following dates and locations for 2010:

April 5 – Tyler Junior College
April 8 - Panola College, Carthage
April 9 - Kilgore College, Kilgore
April 9 - Trinity Valley Community College, Athens

COUNSELORS WORKSHOP HELD ON MAY 8
This year's theme for the counselors' workshop was Choose a Major while You're a Minor. Dr. Karen Alexander from Texas Tech University presented the AchieveTexas materials. Chad Foster presented his High School 101 workshop. Later Chad Foster slipped away to a smaller room to speak to Rains ISD Career Club. Sherry Wright from Rains ISD brought a busload of career club students, and Foster presented each student with his book on Financial Literacy for Teens.

2010 GROUNDHOG JOB-SHADOW DAY
For the 13th year, the East Texas Tech Prep Consortium in partnership with The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce hosted Groundhog Student Job-Shadow Day on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, for over 300 students and 100 plus employers. The students spent the day with their business partners in their company's place of business in order to experience a typical workday. Monica Davis of the East Texas Tech Prep Consortium chaired the event for the Chamber.
The Chamber of Commerce provided a lunch at Tyler Junior College West Campus for participating business partners and students. Luncheon speaker Shannon Pickard, "America's Most Requested Young Speaker!," did an outstanding job by involving students in an improv skit. The East Texas Tech Prep Consortium provided the speaker and a copy of his book The Choice Is Yours; A Formula For Success for each participant.

Student Remarks -

"I really enjoyed shadowing the Tyler Morning Telegraph and I especially enjoyed the luncheon we had!"

"I had a great time and I am glad I went because it gave me an idea of what to expect."

"This was an amazing experience. I loved how everyone was so eager to teach me. I would love to do this again."

"This was one of the most interesting experiences I've had in my life. Working with pediatricians definitely gave me a new option about what I want to do in the future."


Thank you to the following schools that participated this year: Bullard, Chapel Hill, Christian Heritage, Grace Community, John Tyler, Lindale, Robert E Lee, T.K. Gorman, Troup, Whitehouse and Winona

PEIMS FOR D.U.M.M.I.E.S
Doris Sharp has compiled a PEIMS coding training book entitled PEIMS for D.U.M.M.I.E.S. The spiral-bound booklet covers Defining & Utilizing the Multiple Methods of Identifying & Entering Students; Debunking & Understanding the Many Myths in Identifying & Entering Students; Demystifying & Uncovering the Myriad of Mysteries in Identifying and Entering Students; Duh's and Uh's to Make Miracles in Identifying and Entering Students. Notice that the first letter of each topic comprises the acronym D.U.M.M.I.E.S. For a copy, contact Doris Sharp at dsharp@uttyler.edu or voice mail at 903-566-7353.