about North Creek HS TSA

The fastest growing TSA chapter in Washington!

company

The North Creek High School Technology Student Association chapter was founded 2 years ago by Aneesh Karpoor and Abi Chandru. The board of advisors include Spencer Teachout, Jeff Stride, and Chad Steinbaugh. It is devoted to students interested in such career fields as architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, film/video production, graphic arts, or other technical areas. They ensure that every student receives the help they need either through mentors or advisors and teachers along with giving them a means to interact and collaborate with like minded peers. North Creek TSA also has a high level of organization and guide every member step by step so they can achieve their full potential. Overall, the North Creek High School Technology Student Association chapter is one of the very best chapters in the district!

Image
Image
Are you looking

To get involved in technology?

In merely 2 years, North Creek High School TSA has managed to outshine other local chapters, gathering technology passionate students as members and leaders for the chapter's board and mentoring students to lead them towards their potential, eventually helping them result victorious.

35 +

Events

80 +

Members

15 +

National Qualifiers

our teachers

We have amazing teachers at North Creek High School. Our teachers have not only been educating students about academic subjects, but also providing insight and advice about how education connects to a student's life, and mentoring students on how they can achieve their potential.

team
Image

Jeff Stride

Jeff Stride grew up in San Jose, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. He attended Cupertino High School, which is just a few blocks from the home base of Apple. His first computer was an Apple II+, and he proudly displays this very same machine in my classroom today, completely functional! He interned at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View for several years, where he did FORTRAN programming to graph Blackhawk helicopter airfoil data in 3D and learned in a very painstaking way how to do technical writing. He has a diverse college experience, having first attended a community college, then Brown University, then San Jose State University, and finally UC Santa Barbara.

He has wanted to be a teacher since he was in high school; he tutored math for many years and volunteered in various classrooms. When he completed his bachelor's degree, he nearly started his teaching certification process then. But, the allure of studying Computer Science alongside the beaches of Santa Barbara was the winner. Microsoft brought him to the northwest and provided a career for him. Now, he teaches Introduction to Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, and will teach Advanced Programming Topics 1 & 2 starting next year at North Creek High School.
Image

Bill Rosenthal

Bill Rosenthal has been teaching in Northshore School District for about ten years. He was at North Creek last year and the previous nine were spent at Skyview Junior High (now a middle school). Prior to teaching he spent 28 years as an Art Director in San Francisco. His first job out of art school was using clay to create design prototypes for the Jawa Sandcrawler in what we thought would be a little movie: Star Wars: A New Hope. Prior to art school I was a combat photographer in the U.S. Navy. I was born in Minnesota but spent my entire youth living in Compton, California. Classes taught: Digital Photography, Advanced Digital Photography, Graphic Design, Advanced Graphic Design, Yearbook. Education background: BFA, Sculpture. San Francisco Art Institute; MBA, Marketing. Golden Gate University.; Teacher education. UW Bothell; Art Endorsement. Seattle U.; WA State Professional Teaching Certificate
Image

Doug Hakala

Doug Hakala’s programs at North Creek and Bothell High represent terrific opportunities to help young men and women as they explore and gain confidence in their futures in business, marketing, and technology. At Bothell, he teaches the core “Intro to Marketing” course, and specialty courses in computer applications, fashion marketing, retail operations, robotics, and also sports & entertainment marketing. At North Creek, he currently teaches Aviation and Website Design.

He has many years of industry experience as a marketing, sales and R&D professional. He brings a solid history of developing products, markets and partnerships at companies such as Boeing, Medtronic and Weyerhaeuser into the classroom. For example, he has been involved in developing, marketing and selling life-saving medical devices such as AEDs (automated external defibrillators) domestically, and also internationally, in countries such as China. Education background: Masters in Engineering, Masters in Business Administration, Certified CTE Instructor in Business and STEM

CTE CLASSES OFFERED AT NCHS
WEBSITE DESIGN:
Length/Credit: One Semester/.5 Credit
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Diploma Category: O (TP Credit)
College Credits: Up to 5 college credits available
This is a college-level project-based course that introduces the basic elements of designing and developing web pages. Students will learn how to plan and design effective web pages for business and personal use. Web pages will be created using HTML, CSS and Photoshop. This is the perfect course for students who are interested in both computer programming and graphic arts, as students will see their HTML/CSS coding come to life in color and visuals on the webpages they create!

MICROSOFT OFFICE CERTIFICATION:
Length/Credit: One Semester/.5 Credit
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Diploma Category: O (TP Credit)
College Credits: Up to 5 college credits available
Students may become an “expert” in Word and Excel working independently using college level materials. Upon successful completion of this course, students are prepared to take the Microsoft Industry Standard certification tests and become more competitive in today’s job market. This course can be repeated for additional opportunities to earn multiple Microsoft Office certifications.

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES:
Length/Credit: One semester/.5 credit Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Completion of Algebra 1 or instructor permission
Diploma Category: O
This introductory course offers students who are comfortable with math a hands-on approach to building creative projects and learning about the science of computers that surrounds us every day. The course is far more than just a fun, collaborative environment for learning to program graphical and engaging games in Snap! It introduces students to algorithms, procedural decomposition, abstraction, object oriented design, concurrency, agile development methodologies, refactoring and optimization.

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE PRINCIPLES:
Length/Credit: Full Year/1 credit Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Completion of Geometry or instructor permission
Diploma Category: O
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of computing – including problem solving, working with data, understanding the internet, cybersecurity, and programming. Students completing this course should leave with a broadened understanding of computer science for use in diverse majors and careers. Those wanting to earn AP credit will submit two “through-course performance tasks” to the College Board for grading, and will take a multiple-choice end-of-year exam. This course is not a prerequisite for AP Computer Science A, but AP Computer Science A is the logical follow-up class for students inspired to study computer science more deeply after completing this class.

AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A:
Length/Credit: One semester/.5 credit Grades: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Completion AP CS A or Equivalent
Diploma Category: O
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of computer science by teaching Java, an object oriented programming language. No prior programming experience is necessary to enroll, but the course is fast-paced and meant to replicate a college introductory programming class (CSE 142 at the UW). Students are challenged to solve difficult problems and to develop multiple class projects. Students will learn topics that include procedural programming (methods, parameters, return values), basic control structures (sequence, if/else, loops), file processing, collections, object-oriented design, and recursion. This course prepares students to take the AP CS A Exam in May .

ADVANCED PROGRAMMING TOPICS 1:
Length/Credit: One semester/.5 credit Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisite: Completion AP CS A or Equivalent
Diploma Category: O
This course provides an opportunity for highly motivated students who have completed a yearlong college-level Computer Science course (Computer Science with C#.NET, AP Computer Science A) to continue their studies in this field. In this course you will learn about advanced data structures and algorithms, while expanding your knowledge of object-oriented programming. As the year progresses each student will be given increased flexibility to focus more deeply on the topics and technologies that catch and hold their interest.

INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS:
Length/Credit: Full Year/1 credit Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: If the course is being taken to meet 3rd year math option, student must have previously earned one credit in
Diploma Category: O (TP Credit)
Other info: Up to 5 college credits available
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to explore the world of robotics through the basic principles of design, construction, and programming of robots while learning problem-solving techniques, mathematics, logic, creativity, physics, electronics, mechanics, teamwork, computers and computer programming. The class is structured for both technical and non-technical students. Students will first learn how the basic components of a robot operate and then learn to join them together to form a robot that can complete simple functions. Students will use VEX Robot kits to design, build, test and modify their own robots. In the labs, students either individually or as teams will be challenged to construct robots that will perform a series of tasks. The goal of the class is to provide students the opportunity to apply science, math, technology, and engineering skills and concepts to something which is both challenging and fun.

ADVANCED ROBOTICS:
Length/Credit: Full Year/1 credit Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Introduction to Robotics or previous robotics experience
Diploma Category: O (TP Credit)
This course is designed to give students with previous robotics experience the opportunity to further their knowledge. Teams will fabricate a robotic through the basic principles of design, construction, and programming while learning problem-solving techniques, mathematics, logic, creativity, physics, electronics, mechanics, computers and computer programming. The class is structured for both technical and non-technical students. Students will be creating their own robots through the entire design and fabrication process. Use of metal fabrication CNC machines, CAD design, lasers, milling machines, and 3d printers will also be part of the course. In the lab, students work as teams and will be challenged to construct robots that will perform a series of tasks. The goal of the class is to provide students the opportunity to apply science, math, technology, and engineering skills and concepts to something which is both challenging and fun..