Twenty-three students from Clay County Middle School and Clay County High School will soon travel to Washington, D.C., to compete at the National Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference after earning top honors at the West Virginia TSA State Conference held at Cedar Lakes in Ripley.
The students qualified through outstanding performances in STEM-related competitions, leadership, and problem-solving. Their success helped Clay County Middle School earn the title of Outstanding Middle School Chapter in West Virginia, while Clay County High School placed second overall among participating schools.
TSA provides students with opportunities to develop technical skills, leadership abilities, and real-world experiences through competitive events ranging from biotechnology and robotics to public speaking, engineering challenges, and technology design. Students often spend months researching, designing, practicing, and refining their projects before competition.
In addition to their competitive achievements, Clay County students earned several statewide honors. Juliann Gallaher was elected West Virginia TSA State President for the 2026-27 school year, while Lillian Starcher was elected State Sergeant-at-Arms. Jaxon Brown was recognized with the Most Outstanding Member Scholarship for excellence throughout his TSA career.
Five students also completed all three levels of the TSA Achievement Program Pathways to Excellence—Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Those students were Alivia Gilliland, Jaxon Brown, Juliann Gallaher, Lillian Starcher, and Presley Shamblin.
The following students earned first-place finishes at the West Virginia TSA State Conference and qualified to represent Clay County at the National TSA Conference in Washington, D.C., June 22–26.
Clay County Middle School
- Biotechnology: Marissa Atha, Kinley Ramsey, Layla Stewart
- Career Prep: Gunner Dobbins
- Challenging Tech Issues: Gunner Dobbins, River Schoolcraft
- Children’s Stories: Lyla Titus
- Community Service Video: Gunner Dobbins
- Construction Challenge: Addy Jones, Kinley Ramsey
- Creed: Lyla Titus
- Mass Production: Marissa Atha, Layla Stewart, Addy Jones
- Medical Technology: Marissa Atha, Layla Stewart
- Prepared Speech: Lyla Titus
- Technical Design: Marissa Atha, River Schoolcraft
- Fishing Tournament: Silas Corwell
Clay County High School
- Biotech Design: Alivia Gilliland, Cadence Williams
- Children’s Story: Ariel Dobbins, Lillian Starcher
- Debating Technology Issues: Sophia Berberich, Camryn Williams
- Future Technology Teacher: Juliann Gallaher
- Geospatial Technology: Jaxon Brown, Alivia Gilliland, Roxy Schoolcraft
- Prepared Presentation: Sophia Berberich
- Robotics: Alex Holcomb, Canaan Payton
- STEM Mass Media: Ariel Dobbins, Hannah Gandee
- Technology Problem Solving: Alivia Gilliland, Cadence Williams
In addition to these national qualifiers, Clay County students earned numerous second and third-place finishes and received several leadership and achievement awards during the state conference, contributing to another successful year for both TSA programs.
