2026 TECHSTART TECHNOLOGY STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Nathaniel Flood named Technology Student of the Year for high school 

Nathaniel (Nathan) Flood is a senior at Hillsboro High School (HHS) with approximately 1,343 students located in Hillsboro, Oregon. Until joining a Computer Science (CS) class taught by Terry Alexander, Nathan had not considered computer science as a field of study. Since taking the CS class, Alexander reports that Nathan has excelled in the areas of programming, creating games and applications, as well as setting up Linux computer systems for the HHS Cybersecurity class. He mentors new programmers in Godot and is helping move Alexander’s CS program toward that development environment. Nathan maintains a 4.0 GPA in technology courses.

Nathan runs the HHS Game Development Club where multiple teams meet a few times a week to build games for the Oregon Game Project Challenge (OGPC). As the leader, he teaches students how to program for games and encourages them to participate in events like OGPC. He also led a OGPC project with a few other students to create a game together. Other programs he participates in include Cyber Skyline (CTF), the George Fox University High School Programming Competition, and game challenges via Itch.io. Nathan’s accomplishments and awards include:

• Won third place in the George Fox programming competition

• Achieved second place in the Cyber Skyline Capture the Flag Competition

• Won second place with a game that uses AI character dialogue with a back-end server using an API run on a raspberry pi, to have more realistic characters.

• Won third place in a game competition by writing a multiplayer framework using Firebase as a backend for a game.

• Made a javascript timer for counting how long until then the end of the class period

Click on this link to see examples of his projects: https://luckythespacecat.github.io/home/

Nathan indicates that he plans to go to Portland Community College for two years and then transfer to either Portland State University or Oregon State University to complete his degree. 

Click here to see a complete list of the TechStart technology teachers and students who won TechStart 2026 awards. 

2026 TECHSTART TECHNOLOGY STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Alondra Saldaña Simiano named Technology Student of the Year for high school 

Alondra Saldaña Simiano is a senior at Woodburn High School (WHS) with approximately 1,600 students located in Woodburn, Oregon. Alondra consistently took AP college credit math courses before taking a dual credit college Computer Science Intro class for CS 160 in her junior year. “Alondra stretched her problem-solving muscles by learning the fundamentals of Java code and mastering computing concepts such as boolean logic circuits, the CPU machine cycle, and the binary and hexadecimal number systems. For her final coding project, she created a text-based game where the player took care of a capybara and could earn in-game currency called capybucks depending on how well they took care of their digital pet,” states her CS teacher Stephanie Partlow. 

During her senior year, she took four CS or engineering classes on app development, web page design, and engineering course offerings. In her Computer Science Capstone, Alondra is developing an iOS app to help young people budget better and track their finances with the goal of publishing her app on the Apple App Store. In this class, she participates in a simulated work-based learning experience where she is learning the Swift programming language, XCode–Apple's professional IDE–and source control via XCode's integration with GitHub. She is practicing the software engineering cycle through weekly sprints and monthly check-ins with her local industry partner.

Alondra is an inaugural member and club officer of the WHS Technology Makers Club where she completed a demo project in electronic programmable textiles and is now teaching it to others. She is an enthusiastic advocate for computer science, technology, and engineering working with middle-school students on STEM projects. Her fluency in English and Spanish aids students as well as helps in explaining project work to the student’s parents. 

As part of the WHS College and Career Fair, Alondra shares information about her tech classes and club with interested students including running virtual reality (VR) mini sessions where students can get a live demo of the WHS CS program using Apple's Vision Pro. For many students, this is their first experience with VR.

Alondra’s extra-curricular activities include playing the flute in the WHS Mariachi band in performances at the Portland Art Museum and Moda Center for both preshow and halftime Blazers games.

Alondra indicates that she plans to attend Oregon State University to study bioengineering to help improve people's lives, and to eventually study biomedical engineering. She first became interested in biomedical engineering her junior year through her technology classes and club.

Click here to see a complete list of the TechStart technology teachers and students who won TechStart 2026 awards.

2026 TECHSTART TECHNOLOGY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Sara Connors of Cal Young Middle School named K-8 Technology Teacher of the Year 

Sara Connors has been teaching since 2003 and this is her third-year teaching technology courses at Cal Young Middle School in Eugene, Oregon with a student population of approximately 527 students. She teaches various computer science (CS) and technology classes to sixth through eighth grade students including Unified STEAM, seventh and eighth grade STEAM, sixth grade Computers, and sixth grade Lego Design.

Accessibility is central to Connors’ classroom work with learning experiences designed for students with diverse learning needs regardless of their background or prior experience. Connors states, “I promote high-tech education in my school and district by embedding authentic technology experiences into daily instruction and creating visible pathways for students to explore future careers. In my STEAM and CS courses, students engage in coding, robotics, engineering design, 3D Design and multimedia production. Projects are structured around student interests and often require students to be the designers. This approach helps students see technology not just as a tool for consumption, but as a platform for creation and innovation.”

The STEAM and technology classroom units are based on the engineering design process: ask, imagine, plan, create, test, and improve. Students work in collaborative teams to solve real-world challenges, such as designing energy-efficient model homes, building robotic solutions, or developing original board games with clearly written rules and functional prototypes.

Connors is actively involved with national, state, and local professional high-tech and STEM education organizations including the FIRST® youth robotics community. She has coached and mentored multiple FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams, hosted two FLL teams at her school and organized a regional FLL Qualifying Tournament with 14 teams in attendance. 

She also collaborates with district and regional STEM educators through professional learning communities focused on technology integration, inclusive STEAM instruction, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). These collaborations allow Connors to continuously refine hands-on engineering projects, incorporate accessible technology tools, and design equitable learning experiences for diverse learners.

Future Goals

Connors wants to strengthen her schools’ FLL program. “Long term, I am intentionally working toward becoming a school administrator. I see administration as an opportunity to scale the kind of high-tech, inclusive, project-based learning I have built in my classroom,” states Connors”

Click here to see a complete list of the TechStart technology teachers and students who won TechStart 2026 awards. 

2026 TECHSTART RISING STAR TECHNOLOGY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Andrew Cronk of Southridge High School named Rising Star Technology Teacher of the Year for high school 

Andrew Cronk teaches computer science (CS) courses to 9-12 grade high school students at Southridge High School (SRHS) in Beaverton, Oregon with a student population of approximately 1,400 students. Cronk has been working for 27 years in public education in various roles including teacher, administrator, and education policy specialist.

Cronk is currently teaching seven different Computer Science (CS) classes including: Exploring Technology (year-long), Java Programming (year-long), Python Programming (semester-long), Computer Systems (semester-long), Computer Game Design (semester-long), IB Computer Science (year-long), and Cybersecurity (semester-long) for grades 9-12. His classes incorporate non-traditional CS units of study to elevate the achievements of historically overlooked contributors to computer science.

In his Exploring Technology class, students learn to sew using conductive thread to create wristbands and banners that weave circuits and microcontrollers into fabric creations. The Computer Game Design classes teach about color and music theory that students include into sprite designs and soundtracks for video games. Java students seek to solve human problems through code and can choose to take the Oracle 1z0-811 Java Foundations exam. Cybersecurity students learn system administration using a sandboxed Raspberry Pi system. Computer Systems students earn their Acer certificates while learning to repair other student's Chromebooks. He offers four classes for dual credit through Portland Community College and hopes to expand to six classes giving students free, transferrable college credit to reduce the overall cost of a degree. 

He is a coach for Southridge's Hawkbot1cs FTC Robotics team and volunteers with these students at Conestoga Middle School to support a FIRST Lego Robotics club. He coordinated a field trip for the Conestoga's Girls who Code club to explore the SRHS CS and Engineering programs.

Cronk collaborates with OCSTA, CS for Oregon, and the Oregon Cybersecurity Center for Excellence (OCCE). Cronk was a reviewer for the CSTA CS standards effort, and contributed to Code.org's Computer Science in an Age of AI publications. He is a regular presenter at OCSTA events and advocacy advisor to the OCSTA Board. Cronk is the primary author of Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Computer Science Education Statewide Implementation Plan. He advocates for foundational computer science through Exploring Computer Science curriculum with CS for Oregon, and is a consultant for OCCE and primary author of their Cybersecurity Education Statewide Implementation Plan.

Future Goals

“My goal is to finish my career teaching at Southridge High School and leave behind a well-conceived sequence of classes that meet students' needs, a body of curriculum that another computer science teacher can easily access and carry forward. I plan to be very active in the next biennium to see that a bill passes in the Oregon Legislature to ensure that all Oregon public school students have access to computer science education,” states Cronk.

Click here to see a complete list of the TechStart technology teachers and students who won TechStart 2026 awards. 

2026 TECHSTART TECHNOLOGY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Judson Birkel of South Salem High School named Technology Teacher of the Year for high school 

Judson Birkel has been a teacher for 14 years and teaches courses to 9-12 grade high school students at South Salem High School in Salem, Oregon with a student population of approximately 2,000 students. He teaches various computer science (CS) classes including Game Development (GML), Web Development (HTML/CSS), Web App Development (HTML/CSS/JS), Robotics Programming (VEX EXP), Programming Fundamentals (Python), CS 1/2/3 (Java), Issues & Ethics in Technology, Unified Computer Technology, and Advanced Projects (Web/CS/Robotics). Additionally, he teaches the new Higher Education and Career Pathways (HECPS) class using the IB MYP Personal Project program.  

Birkel provides students with technical training as well as opportunities for CS exploration so students may find something they love. His CS courses offer activities so students can experience computer science in action by building web pages, building web apps, building, and coding robots, or preparing for programming contest challenges. He also teaches computational and Java courses that prepare students for college or working in industry with critical thinking classes including Ethics & Issues in Technology where students get to explore the hot topics of today such as cybersecurity, AI, cell phones, and smart homes. In 2025, he taught a CSIII course which prepared students to take the AP CS A test. Of the group of seven students taking the course, five of them were female.

In addition to teaching CS courses, Birkel is a robotics coach for VEX Robotics Teams every year. He acts as the TSA (Technology Student Association) advisor for his school. He also prepares students for participation in the George Fox University High School Programming Contest. “ I encourage students to apply for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) award every year, having received the educator's award myself in 2019,” states Bickel. 

Birkel has been actively involved with the Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association (OCSTA) since 2015 and has participated in planning groups for conferences. He led OCSTA workshops at conferences on Web Design, Game Design, Birds of a Feather, Teaching Pedagogy, and AI including sessions at the OCSTA 2026 Spring Conference. 

Future Goals

Birkel indicates, “I want to be an AI literacy advocate. AI is the fastest growing technology, moving at a pace we never imagined. My goal is to study as much as I can about AI and its impact on society so that I can be the go-to-guru on AI's impact in education.”

Click here to see a complete list of the TechStart technology teachers and students who won TechStart 2026 awards.

2026 TECHSTART TECHNOLOGY TEACHER AND STUDENT AWARD WINNERS

TechStart was proud to present their 2026 Technology Teacher of the Year and Student of the Year awards at the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) 42nd Oregon Technology Awards event. TechStart presented the Technology Teacher of the Year and Student of the Year Awards to five highly deserving winners. The school of each teacher received $1,000 to spend on curriculum, programming, equipment, or professional development selected by each winner. A $2,000 scholarship toward college tuition or related expenses was awarded to two deserving high school students. Here are the award winners:

Technology Teacher of the Year for high school: Judson Birkel, South Salem High School, Salem, Oregon

Technology Teacher of the Year K-8 (Middle School): Sara Connors, Cal Young Middle School, Eugene, Oregon

Rising Star Technology Teacher of the Year for high school: Andrew Cronk, Southridge High School, Beaverton, Oregon

Student of the Year: Alondra Saldaña Simiano, Woodburn High School, Woodburn, Oregon

Student of the Year: Nathaniel Flood, Hillsboro High School, Hillsboro, Oregon

Portland State University Summer Proceedings 2025: How Students Use Computational Modeling to Benefit Society

By Linda Barney, Barney and Associates and Hunter Gambee-Iddings

Portland State University (PSU), Oregon’s only urban, public research university, provides students a testing ground for putting new ideas into action. As part of the PSU summer intern research program, undergraduate students conducted computational modeling research in three innovative programs. The student-led projects tackle real-world challenges in AI, urban safety, healthcare, environmental science, and more — all while emphasizing accessibility, collaboration, and public impact. 

How the Research was Funded

The student research projects were funded by the NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site on "Computational Modeling Serving Portland," the alternative Research Experiences for Undergraduates (altREU) program, and Teuscher Lab internships.

PSU Summer Interns Publish a Book about Research Projects

The PSU research interns published a book titled “Summer Proceedings 2025: How Students Use Computational Modeling to Benefit Society” covering 24 student projects. The projects span foundational AI methods, healthcare and medical AI, transportation and urban safety, environmental and earth sciences, language and social AI, and specialized neural architectures. From developing assistive driving companions and emotion-aware AI for elderly care to predicting volcanic ground deformation and analyzing power grid resilience, these contributions address pressing real-world challenges. The proceedings represent undergraduate research that is accessible, collaborative, and deeply committed to using computational tools for the public good, demonstrating how computational modeling transcends traditional boundaries to create solutions for a more safe, sustainable, and equitable world. 

The students describe the benefits of the summer research projects in the Preface of the book by stating, “Perhaps most significantly, these research experiences develop what we might call ‘computational citizenship’—the ability to understand, evaluate, and contribute to an increasingly data-driven and technology-mediated world. In an era where computational thinking is becoming as fundamental as traditional literacy, these programs prepare students to be thoughtful creators and critics of technology rather than merely consumers.” 

The book is available on Amazon for purchase at this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FSL57NQ3. Click this link to view and download a free PDF version of the book from PDXscholar. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/altreu_projects/18/

PSU Students Donate All Proceeds from Book Sales to Oregon TechStart

The contributing student book authors have voted that all proceeds of this volume will support Oregon TechStart (https://www.techstart.org). 

TechStart is an Oregon-based non-profit organization created by Oregon technology leaders with the goal of expanding access to computer science education for K-12 students in Oregon. TechStart provides annual awards to K-12 computer science teachers and a computer science student of the year award to a high school boy and girl. TechStart helps fund the Oregon Computer Science Teachers Association (OregonCSTA) teacher training programs. TechStart members are also active in volunteering for K-12 computer science training and student events in computer programming, games, LEGO, and advanced robotics competitions. “We at TechStart Oregon are thrilled that the PSU student editorial team chose to donate all proceeds from the book to support K-12 computer science education in Oregon! This is a wonderful example of student innovation directly supporting the next generation of tech leaders,” states Peter Steinfeld, TechStart Executive Director.

PSU Student Acts as TechStart Web Master

A Portland State University student named Hunter Gambee-Iddings majoring in computer science, volunteers his time as the TechStart web master and manages the TechStart LinkedIn site. "It’s inspiring to see students choose to support TechStart with their work. Their decision to dedicate proceeds from the Summer Proceedings 2025 publication to TechStart not only affirms our mission but also reflects the impact that technology and education can have in strengthening our communities. Through managing TechStart’s LinkedIn presence and website, I get to share the stories of Oregon’s students, teachers, and partners who are shaping the future of computer science education. It’s rewarding to see that visibility come full circle, with students recognizing and supporting TechStart in return," Hunter states.

TechStart executives appreciate the great work that Hunter provides TechStart. “Hunter has been a welcome addition to our team and has exceeded our expectations. His contributions have gone above and beyond. Thank you, Hunter, from all of us in tech education.” states John Tortorici, TechStart Chair of the Board. Steinfeld notes, “TechStart is lucky to have Hunter Gambee-Iddings working with TechStart to support computer science education and connect us to Oregon's educational community.”

ANNOUNCING THE 2025 TECHSTART AWARD WINNERS

TechStart was proud to present their 2025 Technology Teacher of the Year and Student of the Year awards at the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) 41st Oregon Technology Awards event. TechStart presented the Technology Teacher of the Year and Student of the Year Awards to five highly deserving winners. The school of each teacher received $1,000 to spend on curriculum, programming, equipment, or professional development selected by each winner. A $2,000 scholarship toward college tuition or related expenses was awarded to a high school boy and girl. Here are the award winners:

Technology Teacher of the Year for high school: Chris Winikka – Century High School, Hillsboro, Oregon

Technology Teacher of the Year for high school: Steffan Ledgerwood – Liberty High School, Hillsboro, Oregon

Rising Star Technology Teacher of the Year for high school: Laura Delaney – Dallas High School, Dallas, Oregon

Girl Student of the Year: Kylin Elliott – Hood River Valley High School, Hood River, Oregon 

Boy Student of the Year: Edward Lam – Century High School, Hillsboro, Oregon

ANNOUNCING THE 2024 TECHSTART AWARD WINNERS

During May 2024, TechStart presented our Technology Teacher of the Year Awards and Student of the Year Awards to four highly deserving winners. The school of each teacher received $1,000 to spend on curriculum, programming, equipment, or professional development selected by each winner. Our student winner received a $2,500 scholarship toward college tuition or related expenses.

Technology Teacher of the Year for grades K-8

Technology Teacher of the Year for high school

Rising Star Technology Teacher of the Year

Student of the Year

Announcing the 2023 TechStart Award Winners

During May 2023, TechStart presented our Technology Teacher of the Year Awards and Student of the Year Awards to four highly deserving winners. The school of each teacher received $1,000 to spend on curriculum, programming, equipment, or professional development selected by each winner. Our student winner received a $2,500 scholarship toward college tuition or related expenses.

Nick Krissie of Lincoln Middle School in Oakland, Oregon, is the Technology Teacher of the Year for grades K-8.

Nick Krissie’s energy and enthusiasm for engaging middle school students in learning about many aspects of science, including technology. He sparks his students’ curiosity with real-world problems and empowers them to solve the problems using technology and science. Read more about Nick and the award in this News-Review article.

Cady Geer of Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon, is the Technology Teacher of the Year for high school.

Cady Geer is tireless in helping Sunset High School students develop strong computer science and engineering skills. She strives to connect her students’ learning with real-world challenges, such as engineering parts for the high school’s HVAC system. She helps prepare students both for technical careers and for higher education.

Terry Alexander of Hillsboro High School is the Rising Star Technology Teacher of the Year.

Terry Alexander makes technology learning accessible, relevant, and fun for the widest range of students, including women and students of color. A former software engineer for Intel, Terry also brings industry knowledge and experience to the classroom. You can read more about Terry and the award in this Hillsboro News Times article.

TechStart Student of the Year

Outstanding Century High School (Hillsboro, Oregon) junior Abiral Shakya is the TechStart Student of the Year.

Abiral is working hard both to develop his own computer science skills and support the advancement of his peers. He demonstrates a great commitment to learning about many aspects of technology and science. You can read more about Abiral and the award in this Hillsboro NewsTimes article. And a hat tip to Abiral’s terrific computer science teacher, Chris Winnikka.