Peters Township High School hosts technology expo
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Konrad Jozwiakowski gives virtual reality a try during the Technology Day Exposition at Peters Township High School.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Some Creation Labs LLC 3D-printing creations
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Sophomore Tabitha Beck guides a creation of the Steel City Serpents robotics team.
Way back when, the notion of robots ambling through school hallways would be pure science fiction.
But there they were at Peters Township High School, pet-sized mechanisms wading between students who were learning more about the likes of virtual reality, cybersecurity, smartphones, anti-virus software and, of course, robotics.
The school hosted its first-ever Technology Day Exposition on March 9, with members of the relatively new Programming Club as primary organizers. Several institutions of higher learning – the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University, Penn State Beaver, California University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University of Pennsylvania – sent representatives to the event, as did local tech companies with which the high school has established relationships.
“Those partnerships have made us realize that we want to support students in seeing the work opportunities, the type of employment you can get to stay here in your community,” assistant principal April Ragland said.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Senior Zac Nee guides a Creation Labs LLC robot. The company’s “chief executive maker” is Peters Township resident Aaron Hartman.
The impetus for the event came from longtime computer science teacher Frank Guerra, who discussed it with colleagues during an in-service day in October.
“We all thought it was a good idea, and the enthusiasm of the Programming Club really helped us get started,” he said. “They took a big lead in it.”
Guerra’s students Sean Werner, Vins Sharma and Christian Mascio founded the club, which now has about 20 members
“We wanted to educate, but we also wanted to encourage people to come into the day and have a different perspective,” Werner said about club members organizing the event. “You hear ‘programming,’ and you just think of all of those millions of lines of code and confusing stuff. But if you just show them the basics, then they get interested.”
Several other student groups took part in the expo, including a contingent from Western Area Technology Center. In the future, students from other high schools and middle schools could be invited to attend.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Junior Lexi Chiesa stands next to a tower created through three-dimensional printing by Creation Labs LLC of Peters Township.
“This could become a full-day event, taking up the entire building,” Ragland said.
As far as classroom work, she said that her school has increased its offering of technology-related courses during the past few years.
“Previously, a lot of this rested on Mr. Guerra’s shoulders,” she explained. “Now, it has extended. We have a well-functioning team of teachers working with a variety of students.”
That includes Programming Club members, whom Ragland commended.
“The programming leadership team should really be recognized, with Mr. Guerra, because they did something that is not comfortable for any teenager to do,” she said. “They showed a lot of initiative. Everyone has an idea, but not everyone has initiative.”
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Peters Township Programming Club members include, from left, Nick Bomba, Christian Mascio, Andy Colaianni, Sean Werner, Mariajosé Figueroa and Vins Sharma.