Students make connection, score big tech

Recently, 16 Hunter High School students competed in a technology contest to showcase skills they’d learned in their electronics classes.

Recently, and for the fourth year in a row, Hunter High School held its Fastest Geek competition at lunchtime during the school day. Students raced to reconnect the wiring in a disassembled desktop computer in the shortest amount of time and demonstrate that the computer was operable.

Hunter High School electronics teacher Scott Watson said all of the students who participated in the contest came out a winner. He said many of the students would be taking home a computer that would be the only one they have for the family.

“Everybody who competed got to keep a computer,” Watson said.

The competition was open to sophomore, junior and senior Hunter High School students.

Although any student in the school could enter the Fastest Geeks contest, most of the participants this year came from the school’s technical education classes and robotics team.

Teachers and information technology professionals from the business community judged the contest.

At the end of two rounds of competition, six students had earned top honors by reassembling the computers in the fastest times. Two first-place winners were each awarded Android touch screen tablets; second-place times earned two students an Apple iPod Touch; and two third-place finishers took home MP3 players.

During the first wave of competition, student Kim La took first place with a time of seven minutes. Alex Ford placed second when he reassembled his computer in seven minutes 18 seconds, and Conner Grossaint earned third place with a time of eight minutes.

In the second round of competition, first-place honors went to Taylor Bagshaw.

Watson said Taylor had earned first place in the Fastest Geek competition last year as well and had the fastest time for the entire contest this year at only three minutes 30 seconds.

“He did come back and defend his title,” Watson said.

Student Frank Linford took second place with a time of five minutes 35 seconds and third-place finisher Levi Rice completed the task in six minutes during the second round.

All of the computers worked on by the students came from the Granite School District warehouse. Proprietary software and other files were completely removed from the hard drive of the surplus computers.

Business partners in the West Valley community donated the prizes awarded to students with the fastest times.

Watson said the competition helps to prepare students for life after high school by teaching basic problem solving and trouble shooting skills. He said the contest was also a great experience for the kids involved.

“It’s a fun competition. I’m planning to continue it on [next year],” Watson said.