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EDUCATION
Wifcl.ViH«l March 24 - 30, 2016 » Page 19A
Chamblee Charter High School junior
Will Wright, a lifelong musician, won
the 2016 state technology fair for
audio engineering.
Lakeside High School computer teacher Kizzy Bess
stands with her protege, senior Sri Bhat.
Lakeside High School senior Sri Bhat won the 2016 state technology fair
in internet applications. Bhat designed a website concerning the 2016
presidential election. Photos by R. Scott Belzer
Movers and Shakers: DeKalb students win State Tech Fair
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
Two DeKalb County
high school students’ recent
accomplishments seem to
demonstrate it’s never too
early to start pursuing one’s
passions.
On March 5, Sri Bhat,
a senior at Lakeside High
School, and Will Wright,
a junior at Chamblee
Charter High School,
traveled to Middle Georgia
State University in Macon
to compete in the 2016
Georgia Educational
Technology Fair.
Bhat and Wright
earned their trip to Macon
by placing first in their
respective categories of
internet applications and
audio production at the
county level. Their success
continued at Middle Georgia
State, where they both
claimed first place.
Bhat’s win was the
result of many hours’
of work in front of a
computer screen. For at
least three hours a day,
Bhat coordinated such
programming codes as
HTML, CSS, JavaScript and
C Sharp. What began as
several walls of text ended
as Bhat’s first-place project.
The senior’s final
product is an informative
website about the 2016
presidential election,
complete with general
information, explanations
about the Electoral College,
delegates, as well as some
interactive maps. Bhat said
this year’s theatrical race,
combined with a passion
for history and information,
inspired the basis for such a
website
“It’s been a weird
election so far,” Bhat said.
“We’re all trying to come
to grips with all of it, and
it’s essentially because
people generally don’t know
much about the election
or how it works. It’s an
informative website that’s
also interactive so people
can get a hands-on feeling
for what’s going on.”
The work has been
familiar to Bhat for years,
as has competed in the
state technology fair since
seventh grade and has
claimed several first-place
finishes. Before that,
he enjoyed taking apart
outdated and obsolete
computers to see what
made them tick. The hands-
on activity eventually led to
an interest in web design
and programming.
“I’m no longer
destroying computers,” Bhat
said. “So, that’s a positive.”
When he’s not
programming, Bhat enjoys
competing on Lakeside’s
academic and math team.
He’s also an active member
in the school’s computer
science and BETA clubs
in addition to being a
member of the school’s
Future Business Leaders of
America chapter.
This fall, Bhat expects
to start his collegiate career
at Georgia Tech majoring
in computer science.
The Lakeside senior was
accepted for “early action”
at Georgia Tech to receive
consideration for such
funding as the President’s
Scholarship, Scheller
Dean’s Scholarship and
other programs.
Wright’s story is similar
but in a different area.
Wright also spent months
working on his project
through which he sought to
perfectly convey emotion
through the universal
language of music.
“I started writing music
around eighth grade,”
Wright said. “I’m very
passionate about the music
I create. I write music to
express my emotion. Some
people write diaries, some
people draw - there are
a million ways to express
yourself. I found music was
the best for me.”
Wright’s ability to sing,
play piano, guitar and
trombone is not enough
for the Chamblee Charter
junior. When it comes
to fully expressing one’s
self, according to Wright,
one needs to be capable
of controlling all aspects,
including how it is produced
and transferred to the ear.
Wright also began
producing music in the
eighth grade. When his
mother found a Facebook
advertisement for the state
technology fair last year, he
could not resist entering.
His entry earned him a
first-place finish in audio
production.
“I decided this was a
perfect fit for me because
this is what I do,” Wright
said. “I’ve been producing
the music I’ve written and I
was very excited.”
Wright said his new
song stayed in production
for more than three months
before he was happy with it.
“I was trying to get the
right feel for it,” Wright said.
“I wanted that distorted
vocal sound, a grooving
bass. The drums were the
hardest part - it took me
months to say the snare
style was done.”
Wright repeated his
success in 2016 with
a song he had worked
on for two years. The
DeKalb junior describes
the song, made with four
other DeKalb County
high school musicians, as
alternative rock, but also
incorporating elements of
jazz, with influences ranging
from such rock groups as
Radiohead and Coldplay
to hip-hop artists such as
Kendrick Lamar.
While working on his
submission to the state
technology fair, Wright has
also dealt with cubital tunnel
syndrome, which is carpal
tunnel syndrome near the
elbow rather than the wrist
and hand. When imitating
how he worked in such a
state, Wright looks more
robot than human.
“It came from playing
the piano too hard,” Wright
said. “I was just destroying
the piano while playing.
It was a journey, but
something I’m sure will help
with my creativity.”
Wright said he will
pursue some form of
a music career after
concluding high school,
but hasn’t decided the best
avenue to take.
“I’m still trying to figure
out that process and
what the best fit for me
would be,” Wright said. “I
want to express myself
through music and I’ll
learn whatever it takes to
improve. You can’t learn
everything, as much as I
would love to, but I plan on
pursuing music.”
In addition to playing in
Chamblee Charter’s jazz
band, Wright is also an avid
runner on the school’s cross
country team.
For more information
on the 2016 Georgia
Educational Technology Fair,
visit www.gatechfair.org.
Dx'iiikiiig:
Ho* d
nfinois
problem!
Did you know?
People age 12-20 years of age drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S.
More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinking.
Underage drinking is considered a form of binge drinking because it is both
'illegal and often involves consumption in quantities and settings that can lead to
serious immediate and long term consequences.
Binge drinking is a common form of alcohol abuse.
Binge drinking may occur when a person is trying to fit in with friends, deal with stress, or after a
major life event.
Binge drinking can be dangerous on many different levels, especially for young binge drinkers,
possibly affecting their health, brain, and emotional well-being.
Be safe DeKalb!
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Call (770) 285-6037 or
E-mail: beyondthebell@comcast.net
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