ACAC’s Swimmers are Scholars Too
ACAC’s Swimmers are Scholars Too
Article by Chip Fischer
Atomic City Aquatic Club (ACAC) swimmers are not just athletes but also scholars. This can be seen by the recent success enjoyed by swimmers Avery Fischer (11) and Quentin Delmau (12) at the Middle School Tennessee Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition. These two swimmers have earned the option to compete at Nationals in Louisville, KY this summer.
Quentin Delmau (left) & Avery Fischer (right) at TSA State Competition
The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a national organization of students engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Open to students enrolled in or who have completed technology education courses, TSA’s membership includes over 250,000 middle and high school students in approximately 2,000 schools spanning 48 states. Members learn through exciting competitive events, leadership opportunities and much more. The diversity of activities makes TSA a positive experience for every student.
Avery and Quentin each competed at the State competition in Chattanooga, submitting projects in different categories that they put together on respective teams.
Avery's teams placed 1st in the Construction challenge and the Off The Grid challenge. In the Construction challenge, participants submit a scale model, display, and documentation portfolio for a design that fulfills a community need related to construction. To advance to finals and earn placement in the top 3, they deliver a presentation about their entry and participate in an interview. Her team developed a proposal and model for a shot-put retrieval system that can be used by Oak Ridge High School.
In the Off The Grid challenge participants conduct research on a sustainable architectural design for a home in a country not their own. Participants produce a portfolio and create a display and a model. To advance to finals and earn placement in the top 3, they present their display and participate in an interview. Her team proposed a residence/fish farm along the Amazon River in Colombia and discussed, among other things, how it sustains a family and benefits the environment.
Quentin's team placed third in the Coding challenge. In the Coding challenge, participants take a test that concentrates on computer science and coding. Finalists in a position to place in the top 3 demonstrate their programming knowledge by developing a solution in an onsite coding challenge using Scratch programming. Scratch is a visual programming language developed by MIT for kids, promoting computational thinking and problem solving skills. Quentin's team was given 3 projects with 4 challenges each. Included in the 12 challenges, his team had to make entities move on screen, react when encountering other entities, and make sounds based on user interaction.
ACAC is proud of their swimmers’ accomplishments in and out of the pool. We wish Avery and Quentin the best of luck in Louisville!
