Susan Johnson and Melissa Virden are starting a Technical Student Association club at the El Dorado HIgh School for students to enhance personal development, leadership,and career opportunities. 

The Technical Student Association club has over 250,000 middle and high school students in it across the United States. Technical Student Association was formerly known as American Industrial Arts Students Association also known as AIASA. Tsaweb.org states, the club is “the oldest student membership organization dedicated exclusively to students enrolled in technology and engineering education classes in middle and high schools.” AIASA’s name was changed in the summer of 1988, to Technology Student Association.

 In TSA, students will do project-based activities and will have guest speakers. Johnson said, “The plan is to provide students with opportunities in engineering.” 

Students at EHS will pay a $25 fee to be a part of the club. Virden said, “Our first field trip will be to the state fair on Oct. 19.” Students will provide the shirt size they wear and a payment of $10 for the shirt. The TSA club will leave for the state fair at 6 a.m., and will return from their trip at 6 a.m. 

Johnson said, “The first year we got to this meeting and then it got shut down because of Covid.” The TSA club had a meeting on Oct. 6 to talk about the upcoming trips they were planning to go on in the next couple of weeks.

 Students will also go on a trip to Hot Springs for a fall conference on Oct. 26. Students will be encouraged to bring money for their breakfast in the morning when they leave for Hot Springs. They will be stopping in at McDonalds in Fordyce, and students will be provided lunch at the conference. Students will also stop on the way home after the conference for a snack break. Students may bring snacks with them and can eat breakfast before they leave for Hot Springs. 

The trip to the Fall conference is paid for by the fundraiser the TSA members did at the beginning of the first nine weeks.

Arkansastsa.org states, “This is an opportunity to get to know members of Arkansas TSA across the state.  This conference is a requirement of students that want to be state officers.” 

The fall leadership conference gives students a chance to enhance their leadership skills.

Mary Licciardi, a TSA club member said, “If you put it on a college application it will look good.”