Plans Announced for FCPS 30th Annual Tech Fair

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To celebrate Career and Technical Education Month, middle school students enrolled in FCPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes are busy honing skills that will be showcased at the 30th annual Tech Fair on Tuesday, February 28, from 5-7 p.m.

The event will be held at the FCPS Career and Technology Center (CTC), located at 7922 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, Maryland. There are additional opportunities that evening for middle school students to participate in hands-on activities with CTC programs. Awards announcements for the Tech Fair competitions will begin at 7 p.m., as events conclude.

Winners of the classroom contests or judging who advance in school level competitions will be pre-registered by their teachers to represent their middle school in one of the following contests at the Tech Fair:

  • All Wound Up: Two sixth-grade students from each middle school’s Technology Exposition classes construct rubber-band cars and adjust the specifications to travel the greatest distance.
  • Hovercraft: In this one-hour challenge, two eighth-grade problem-solving teams from each middle school put their Hovercrafts through a timed trial across a specified distance; the fastest Hovercraft wins.
  • Bridge Challenge: Eighth-grade teams from each school design and build a soda-straw bridge that meets certain specifications and bears weight.
  • Design Challenges: Teams of sixth-grade Technology Exposition students and seventh-grade Invention and Innovation students have one hour to solve a design-challenge problem using only the materials provided.
  • Video Challenge: Seventh-grade students in Computer Science Investigation classes showcase videos they wrote and recorded to promote career and technical education by creating a video incorporating the theme, “What would the world look like without computer technology?”
  • Computer Science Coding Challenge: Seventh-grade students in Computer Science Investigation classes and sixth-grade students in Lab 21 showcase their coding projects.
  • Life Skills Cupcake Wars: Eighth-graders put the final touches on their cupcake designs that will be judged on aesthetics and theme.
  • Fundraiser Snack: Sixth-grade food science students show off a healthy snack they developed and pitch as a fundraiser, demonstrating their understanding of nutrition and financial literacy.
  • CTC Programs: Various CTC programs host hands-on opportunities that showcase the skills and knowledge that students gain from their CTE programs. 

A food truck from In10es BBQ will be available for on-site purchases by families attending the fair. Students, parents, staff and community members are invited to come out and watch the fun as students compete while being able to spend time learning about high school programs offered at the CTC. Students or parents who want to know more about the competitions, should reach out to any middle school CTE teacher.

For more information about Tech Fair, please contact Teacher Specialist Korbin Shoemaker, Career and Technical Education Coordinator Norm McGaughey or CTE Administrative Secretary Suzanne Blick by calling 301-696-6849.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held Wednesday, March 2, 2023. Parking is available at the CTC with additional parking available at the adjacent Frederick County Community College in marked areas