What: Middle School Tournament of Technology
(No formal press conference planned, media encouraged to capture live b-roll and work
with site contact for specific interviews)
When: Saturday, April 23, 2022
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Hoover High School
5550 N. First St. (93710)
Approximately 300 Fresno Unified middle school students will square off in technology-based competitions as part of the 15th annual Middle School Tournament of Technology, the largest contest of its kind in the state. It’s been almost three years since the last in-person event was held and this year’s event theme is Anime. Students can compete in 15 events in the categories of Robotics, Video Productions, Design, and Coding. This year, for the first time, the Tournament of Technology will feature a Drone Exhibition, and Fresno PD will be flying their Maverick Drone used in law enforcement. Crowd favorites are the 3D Printer Bridge-Builder, Blockbuster Video Trailer, and BattleBots, but all the events sharpen students’ skills for the 21st century. Sixty judges are lined up to determine the top competitors.
The goal of the competition is to engage students with a variety of innovative technologies to help develop collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity skills.
Students have been preparing for months, using design software and 3D printers to build bridges and racecars, video editing software to produce public service announcements and “blockbuster” trailers, and VEX IQ Robot Kits to build robots that can navigate mazes and battle other robots. The awards ceremony begins at 1 p.m.
“We are thrilled to welcome back a live Tournament of Technology, where our middle school students will show off some amazing tech and collaboration skills in a really fun environment. TOT is all about expanding student-centered and real-world learning experiences, one of the goals we have for our students,” said Superintendent Bob Nelson.