Tech 2017 “Students for the Information Age” event was on May 9, drawing students and teachers from 90 schools across Illinois. The event focused on the topic of technology and its integral role in student engagement and academic achievement. Each school was prompted with the challenge to present a technology project to their policymakers.

From the 47th District, State Sen. Jil Tracy welcomed students from Hamilton High School’s 11th grade class, West Prairie Middle School’s eighth grade class and Illini Central Elementary School’s fourth grade class. As part of their presentations, Hamilton combined math and design to walk us through the complete process of 3D animation, beginning from the wireframe stage. West Prairie demonstrated the capabilities and components of EV3 robotics, and Illini Central showed how technology can be used in every aspect of their school day.