Led by teacher Dennis McCarthy, the three Willow Glen teams earned gold, silver and bronze medals at the fifth annual StRUT Competition, held March 19 at Mission College in Santa Clara. The competition attracted about 100 students in 33 teams from around the Bay Area and Los Angeles. It was sponsored by the Silicon Valley chapter of StRUT, or Students Recycling Used Technology, a nonprofit organization that provides technology education for students in kindergarten through their sophomore year in college.

Willow Glen students encountered problems both large and small during the competition. Team members Raquel Hayes, Hien Nguyen and Taylor Cruz couldn't get the case to fit properly over the hard drive once they'd finished rebuilding it.

"We had to take it off and make sure everything was pushed down far enough," said Raquel.

Robert Dzambic, Anthony Della Maggiora and Nick Hori were on a team that captured a gold medal, which meant that they could each take the computer home that they'd worked on or trade it in for a flash memory card.

"I got a computer for my brother because I told him I would," said Robert, an eighth-grader.

Robert competed in StRUT last year, when his team also took top honors.

StRUT also gives participating schools used computers and equipment donated from the high-tech industry. To date, StRUT has placed almost 5,000 free computers in elementary and high schools and community colleges throughout the region. The event has also helped technology instructors develop curriculums.

In addition to the hands-on competition, StRUT participants must also take a written test based on the book PC Upgrade and Repair. Seventh-grader Nick earned the highest middle-school score on that test.

Rebuilding the computer, however, turned out to be a bit harder. Nick, a returning competitor, had to deal with a "messed-up" motherboard this year.

"It was fried," said Nick, adding that the judges gave his team a new computer to work with after determining the extent of the damage.

While not all the students who participated in StRUT had a working knowledge of computer hardware when they started, McCarthy said they were quick learners.

"We took computers apart and put them back together a couple times before the competition," the teacher said. "We only worked a couple of times a week for a month or so."

In dividing his students into teams, McCarthy took note that StRUT competitors are judged heavily on teamwork. He said all three girls from Willow Glen ended up on the same team because they work well together.