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General Conference Information

Technology Student Association (TSA) is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for
technology and engineering students. Tennessee TSA hosts an annual State Leadership
Conference (SLC) for all of our members across the Volunteer State. This conference brings
together student members with industry, postsecondary, and
community leaders in a showcase that recognizes both technical
skill and leadership development. This conference includes
competitive events, leadership training, social events, and a
recognition ceremony.

DATES

Wednesday, April 2, 2025, to Saturday, April 5, 2025

LOCATION

Chattanooga Convention Center, 1 Carter St, Chattanooga, TN

37402

THEME

The theme for the State Leadership Conference 2025 is Capture

Your Vision

The conference will be treated as a field trip, and students will be dismissed from school on
Thursday and Friday. (Students will go to the conference after school on Wednesday 4/2)
Important Dates and Deadlines

Date Item

Feb 20, 2025 Registration Closes

Feb 20, 2025 Registration Sheet, Transportation Form, and Finalized Student Competition Choices are
Due at the Afterschool Student Meeting

Mar 7, 2025 $130 Payment Deadline (Turn in to Mrs. Thompson)

Mar 7, 2025 Printed Multiple Release Forms Due (Turn in to Mrs. Thompson)

Mar 12, 2025 Pre-Submission and Testing Window Opens

Mar 14, 2025 Pre-Submission and Testing Window Closes

Apr 2, 2025 TSA Conference Begins

Apr 5, 2025 TSA Conference Ends

Required Form

Multiple Release Form

●​ Must be completed by ALL attendees
●​ Due printed out by Friday, March 7th along with money at Mrs. Thompson’s room
Conference Schedule

Please note the schedule is tentative and subject to change.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2025

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET Registration

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET Chapter Time
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Exam (Testing events only)

THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. ET General Session 1: Opening Session*

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. ET Advisor Meeting

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET TECHSPO

10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET Competitive Events

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. ET Assembling the Dream Cast - led by TNTSA State Officer Team
In this workshop, join the State Officer Team to master the art of assembling your dream team! Learn effective task
delegation to leverage your team's strengths and ensure everyone contributes to overall goals. Discover conflict
resolution strategies to foster collaboration and enhance your communication!

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET Meet the Candidates Session 1

2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. ET Keynote Speaker Workshop TBA

3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET Networking Like a Star - led by TNTSA State Officer Team
In this workshop, attendees will build a networking mindset, create a strong personal brand, and maintain and grow
connections with other people. Through interactive activities and real-world examples, attendees will gain the
confidence and tools to expand their network and leverage it for personal and career growth.

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET Meet the Candidates Session 2

8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. ET Silent Disco Night

FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2025

8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. ET Voting Delegates Meeting

9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET Competitive Events

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET TECHSPO

7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET General Session 2: Business Session*

8:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. ET Region Meetings

9:15 p.m. - 9:45 p.m. ET Senior Social

SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025

8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET General Session 3: Awards Ceremony*

*Required for all members

Conference Competitions

COMPETITION SELECTION

ALL COMPETITIONS IN WHICH TSA MEMBERS PLAN ON COMPETING IN (up to 5) WILL BE

FINALIZED BY THURSDAY, 2/20 ALONG WITH THE REGISTRATION. A meeting will be held
after school on this day to finalize registration and ensure students have selected the events
they plan on competing in.
●​ Students will be given time at the meeting on 2/18 meeting to plan out team
competitions and individual competition selections before registration forms are
finalized and submitted with the competition lists on Thursday. Message me on Remind
or at 423-802-3644 if you have questions or want to make any last-minute changes.

COMPETITION LINKS

Competition list and team sizes for each: PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU HAVE TO SCROLL DOWN IN
ORDER TO REACH THE HIGH SCHOOL SECTION.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Z0MdTFaWKwd--Tr_rM40lRWPVxqUYVjjDpRKIScmnM/e
dit?tab=t.0

Specific details for the design/prompts of each competition:

https://tsaweb.org/competitions/themes-and-problems?hspage=1#dl1

For competitions requiring presubmission, the submission window closes on March 14th.
Steps on how to submit your files online are listed below. Note that we will have a meeting on
March 13th to go through this process and ensure all students submit their files.
Tennessee TSA Pre-Submission Events

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS

All attendees are required to have some form of transformation to and from the Chattanooga
Convention Center for all four days. Attendees are expected to be on time each day. A
finalized schedule for East Hamilton’s TSA Charter will be released in the future.
 TRANSPORTATION FORMS
Attendees are required to sign the transportation form attached to the registration sheet to
confirm they have a viable form of transportation for all 4 days. Carpooling is recommended and
can be discussed between students.

Expenses and Registration Info

The expenses for the TSA state conference fall under 3 categories:
●​ Registration Costs
●​ Lodging Costs
●​ Food Costs
●​ Advisor Fee

--------------------------------------------------------
REGISTRATION
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

ALL ATTENDEES, including members, advisors, chaperones, guests, and accessibility support
staff attending the conference are REQUIRED to register. All chapters are required to have a
school-approved adult chaperone on-site for the duration of the conference. Only affiliated
chapters and members will be able to register for competitive events at the State Leadership
Conference.

REGISTRATION COST

Attendee Type Cost

Advisors $80

Chaperones $80

Students $80

Guests $80

Accessibility Support Staff (Interpreter, paraprofessional, etc. to provide

$0
accommodations)
REGISTRATION DEADLINE AND INFORMATION

Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 20, 2025. No additional registrations or

event substitutions will be added/made after this deadline.

Students/guests wanting to register should fill out the registration sheet and
transportation form given out to TSA members, review it with parents, sign it, and return
it during the meeting on Thursday, 2/20 in order to be registered.

INFORMATION NEEDED TO REGISTER (For each attendee)

●​ Attendee Type
●​ Personal Email Address
●​ T-Shirt Size
●​ Competitive Event Selections for Student Participants
○​ Max 5 per student
○​ More information on events and event selection is below. Events will be selected
by students at the meeting on 2/20, but students should be prepared with the
events they are interested in.
ENSURE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS WRITTEN DOWN ON THE REGISTRATION FORM
GIVEN OUT TO STUDENTS AND RETURNED AT THE MEETING ON 2/20

REGISTRATION INCLUDES

●​ Admittance to the conference at the Chattanooga Convention Center

●​ Competitive event participation and supplies
●​ Conference t-shirt and pin

--------------------------------------------------------
LODGING
LODGING COSTS
Due to our close proximity to the Chattanooga Convention Center, we will not book hotels but
rather drive to and from the convention center to avoid paying hundreds of dollars per night.
However, the TSA requires an additional non-conference hotel participant fee of $50 per
registrant to cover lodging administrative costs.
 If you would still like to book a hotel for this 4-day period, please contact me at
ryan.gibson.37@outlook.com or through Remind and I will be happy to give you the information
you need.

--------------------------------------------------------
FOOD
FOOD COSTS
Meals are not provided by TSA, so attendees must come prepared with money to cover food
expenses.

A minimum of $30 per day is recommended for each attendee for lunch and dinner, but it is
up to the student/guest to decide how much they may be willing to spend. Please contact me
through ryan.gibson.37@outlook.com or Remind if you have any monetary concerns. We will be
given time to walk through downtown Chattanooga and eat at restaurants throughout the day.

--------------------------------------------------------
ADVISOR FEE
ADVISOR FEE
In order to cover the costs for the advisors/chaperones attending in order to help out, each
member is required to pay an additional $10 to cover additional costs.

Payment

TOTAL COSTS

A total of $140 is required per attendee at the TN TSA State Conference in order to cover
registration and lodging costs (not including food or other extra expenses).

DEADLINE

All payments must be received by March 7, 2025.

PAYING BY CASH

Deliver an envelope with a total of $140 in cash to Mrs. Thompson’ before the deadline
 PAYING BY CHECK

Write a $140 check to East Hamilton High School and deliver it to Mrs. Thompson before the
deadline.

Dress Code

Please review the following information carefully to ensure attendees adhere to the proper
requirements. All conference attendees, including students, advisors, chaperones, guests, and
accessibility support staff, must be registered for the conference and comply with the following
dress code policy. All registrants must wear official conference identification name badges at all
times.

Occasion Appropriate Attire

General Sessions Tennessee TSA Business Casual Attire

Competitive Events Tennessee TSA Competition Attire

Social Events Tennessee TSA Casual Attire

TENNESSEE TSA BUSINESS CASUAL ATTIRE*

●​ Shirt: official royal blue TSA shirt, blue button-down shirt, white button-down shirt, or a
polo/golf shirt (unacceptable: t-shirts, halter tops, tank tops)
●​ Dress, skirt, or pants: grey, black, or khaki (unacceptable: jeans, exterior pocket pants,
shorts, ill-fitting attire)
●​ Shoes: dress shoes worn with dark socks or hosiery (optional); open-toe shoes or
sandals are acceptable (unacceptable: athletic shoes, flip-flops, military boots, or work
boots)

TENNESSEE TSA COMPETITION ATTIRE*

●​ Shirt: official royal blue TSA shirt, blue button-down shirt, or white button-down shirt
●​ Pants or skirt: grey (unacceptable: jeans, exterior pocket pants, shorts, ill-fitting attire)
 ●​ Shoes: black dress shoes worn with dark socks or hosiery (optional); open-toe shoes or
sandals are acceptable (unacceptable: athletic shoes, flip-flops, military boots, or work
boots)

CHAPTER TEAM ATTIRE

Optional for Chapter Team competitors only, and may be worn for other competitions:
●​ Blazer: navy blue with official TSA patch
●​ Tie: official TSA tie

TENNESSEE TSA CASUAL ATTIRE

●​ Shirt: Conference shirt, TSA shirt, or school spirit shirt (unacceptable: halter tops, tank
tops)
●​ Pants: jeans or khakis (unacceptable: ripped jeans, leggings, shorts, ill-fitting attire)

Safety and Security: Background Checks through Raptor Systems

Ensuring the safety and security of all participants is a top priority for all Tennessee TSA events.
All attendees, including students, advisors, chaperones, guests, and accessibility support staff,
must register for the conference and wear a name badge at all times. Continuing this year, all
attendees over the age of 18 who are not registered through a school and those who are
serving as judges or conference volunteers must undergo a background check through
Raptor Systems. This includes judges, vendors, and other non-school-affiliated attendees.
Participants must present a state-issued ID at the registration area upon arrival at the
convention center. Raptor Systems, similar to the visitor screening systems used in schools,
adds an extra layer of protection to ensure the safety of our members. This enhanced measure
reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a secure environment for everyone at the
conference.

Awards and Scholarships

At the State Leadership Conference each year, Tennessee TSA presents several awards and
scholarships to members, advisors, and alumni to recognize their contributions to our
organization throughout the year. The nomination form for awards and the application form for
scholarships is available now through Feb. 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET and can be found here.
 AWARDS

●​ Middle School Advisor of the Year

●​ High School Advisor of the Year
●​ Alumni of the Year
●​ Distinguished Student Award
●​ Frank D. Calfee Distinguished Service Award
○​ This award can be presented to a student, advisor, alum, or other such person
who has been of service to Tennessee TSA

SCHOLARSHIPS

●​ $500 - Dustin Heavilon Engineering Scholarship

○​ Only prospective Engineering majors are eligible for this scholarship
○​ Only seniors meeting the requirements listed here are eligible to apply for TNTSA
scholarships

Plans For If School Gets Cancelled Thursday

There is a possibility school may be canceled this week due to snow. If this is the case, the plan
will go as follows:
1.​ Students wanting to register will be added to a phone group chat so that communication
can be made easy.
2.​ Students will send clear pictures of their registration sheets and transportation forms that
are completely signed and filled out to 423-802-3644. The deadline to do this is 3:00 pm
on 2/20
3.​ Students will be registered by Mrs. Thompson and I after the deadline based on the
information from the registration sheets and the selected competitions from the meeting
on Tuesday
4.​ Students should hold on to both the registration sheet and transportation form to be
turned in on the next day that school is held.

Questions or Concerns?

CONTACT ME
Reach me through the Remind app or by email at ryan.gibson.37@outlook.com and I will try to
respond to you as quickly as possible.