TechStart Presents K-12 Computer Science Awards and Hosts a High School Computer Science Showcase
By Linda Barney, Barney and Associates
The Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) celebrated innovation at the 42nd 2026 Oregon Technology Awards event held on May 5, at the Hilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon. This annual event celebrates excellence and innovation within Oregon's technology sector, honoring companies that have made significant contributions to the industry and community.
As part of the TAO awards event, the TechStart non-profit organization located in Portland, Oregon was honored to present monetary awards to K-12 computer science teachers and two high school students. TechStart also hosted a Computer Science High School Student Showcase. There were 12 high school teams where students from various Oregon high schools displayed their computer science projects in areas such as game and application development, robotics, and programming. Click here to see information on the Computer Science Student Showcase.
Announcing The 2026 TechStart Award Winners
During the event, TechStart presented the 2026 TechStart Technology Teacher of the Year and Student of the Year Awards to the highly deserving winners. The school of each teacher received $1,000 to spend on curriculum, programming, equipment, or professional development. A $2,000 scholarship toward college tuition or related expenses was awarded to two high school junior or senior students. The teachers who recommended the student winners introduced the students and described their impressive achievements. Here are the award winners:
High School Technology Teacher of the Year: Judson Birkel – South Salem High School, Salem, Oregon
Rising Star Technology Teacher of the Year: Andrew Cronk – Southridge High School, Beaverton, Oregon
K-8 Technology Teacher of the Year: Sara Conners – Cal Young Middle School, Eugene, Oregon
Student of the Year: Nathaniel Floyd, Hillsboro High School, Hillsboro, Oregon
Student of the Year: Alondra Saldaña Simiano, Woodburn High School, Woodburn, Oregon
Oregon Needs Continued Support for K-12 Computer Science Education
TechStart’s bold goal is to see that every Oregon K-12 student has access to high-quality computer science education. “We would like to thank TAO for their continued support of computer science education in Oregon and allowing TechStart to introduce amazing computer science teachers and students to the business community. With the current K-12 education funding issues, it is vital that there is continued advocacy in the Oregon legislature for K-12 computer science, technology, and artificial intelligence education. It is also critical that professional organizations, companies, and individuals get involved. The best thing we can do is to create more computer science teachers and support the ones that we have. To support computer science teachers, please donate to TechStart to help us continue to provide monetary funding to deserving teachers and students. We continually seek volunteers to participate in K-12 programs in robotics, game design, and software development, click here to contact us about volunteering,” states Peter Steinfeld, TechStart Executive Director.