After hosting the first Grace Murray Hopper Regional Technology Fair in Whitfield County Schools, Southeast and Northwest Whitfield high schools will send 11 students to compete at the state level.

Students working individually and in teams earned First Place at the regional fair and will be competing at the Georgia Educational Technology Fair (GaETF) at Macon State College on March 9:

• Nicholas Etheridge and Destiny Cooper (SHS)
  Animated Graphic Design, Grades 11–12
• Laura Beth Manley (SHS)
  Digital Photography, Grades 9–10
• Laura Rosillo (SHS)
  Digital Photography, Grades 11–12
• Ben Holsomback (NHS)
  Digital Video Production, Grades 9–10
• Anthony Alt and Houston Lynn (NHS)
  Digital Video Production, Grades 11–12
• Shayla Bryson (SHS)
  Multimedia Applications, Grades 9–10
• Cleo Evans (NHS)
  Multimedia Applications, Grades 11–12
• Myranda Truelove (SHS)
  Web 2.
  0 Internet Applications, Grades 9–10
• Austin Wade (NHS)
  Web 2.0 Internet Applications, Grades 11–12

Faculty from Dalton State College served as judges during the fair on on Saturday, Jan. 12, where students competed in any of five different categories including animated graphic design, digital photography, digital video production, multimedia applications, and web 2.0 Internet applications.

All participants received a Grace Murray Hopper Tech Fair T-shirt. First Place winners also received $50 gift certificates.

The Grace Murray Hopper (GMH) region of the Georgia Educational Technology Fair program is named for a computer pioneer. Ms. Hopper was one of the programmers of the Harvard Mark I and greatly contributed to the development of the COBOL programming language. Participation in the regional fair is open to high school students in Whitfield, Dade, and Walker counties who may participate in any of fourteen categories of competition.

The establishment of the GMH region represents the efforts of Northwest High School Principal Britt Adams, Southeast Principal Karey Williams, business teachers, Robyn Rhodes and Sheila Hudson, from Southeast and Dr. Shara Cook, from Northwest, and NHS media specialist, Betsy Clem, all of whom appreciate the support and leadership of the Whitfield County School District. 

For more information, visit the GMH Regional Tech Fair website.

The GaETF is an annual student technology competition produced by the Georgia Educational Technology Consortium, which sponsors other technology initiatives in Georgia such as the Georgia Educational Technology Conference. The GaETF is the highest level of student technology competition in Georgia with more than 400 projects by more than 500 students that are judged at the competition each spring. For more information, visit the website GaETF website.