Tech High School Students Headed to National AI Festival in Boston

(KNSI) – Two Tech High School students have been selected to represent Minnesota at America’s Youth AI Festival in Boston and Cambridge this July.

Bihmanji Acho and Jiech Jiech will travel to the festival July 17th through 19th as part of the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States. Joining them from St. Cloud Area School District will be Tech High School Principal Molly Kensy and district Innovation Coach Kate Klugg.

The students and educators will participate in the 2026 Leadership and Innovation Fellowship, a new national initiative from AASA, The School Superintendents Association. The fellowship is designed to help school leaders and students navigate the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in public education.

During the three-day residency, student delegates from across the country will gather at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, where they will serve as national “Student AI Senators.” Together they will debate and help draft a new national student-centered AI policy for K-12 public schools. Once finalized, AASA plans to share that policy with its membership of more than 10,000 school leaders across the country.

The festival is organized by Day of AI, an independent nonprofit founded out of MIT RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) in 2021 that works with MIT researchers to support K-12 students, families, and educators.

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