Wild Rose Elementary School Students Present Winning Inventions

Who: Caroline Mulvihill, Maya Taylor, Robert Ororzco, Gregory Calva, Francisco Don Diego, Jr., and Benjamin Tang, all aged 11, are in the 5^th grade at Wild Rose Elementary.

Accomplishment: Caroline, Maya, Robert, Gregory, Francisco, and Benjamin submitted winning inventions to the Invention Convention Contest at Wild Rose Elementary this year.

Key To Awesomeness: Students who chose to participate in the Invention Convention Contest at Wild Rose Elementary were instructed to work out of a packet and describe in detail how they would create, test and market their invention. They had about two months to test and work on the inventions. They were also asked to spend no more than $20 on it, so many of the students worked with parts that came from home or from the dollar store. Inventions were due on February 9^th and presented on Founders Day at Wild Rose Elementary. Caroline, Maya, Robert, Gregory, Francisco and Benjamin were also honored by the Monrovia Rotary Club on March 15^th.

Second place winner Benjamin Tang created the Wheelchair Stabilizer, a Lego six wheeled model of a wheelchair that could navigate steps if a wheelchair ramp is not available. Two wheels in the back of the chair act as a lever, and it also has projecting arches overhead to protect the person in the wheelchair.

First place winners Caroline Mulvihill and Maya Taylor created an invention called the Clipboard Helper, a clipboard with special grooved compartments that hold an eraser a small pencil sharper, and writing utensils and keep them from falling out. Their invention helps them stay prepared at regularly scheduled meetings in "the arc," which is when the students sit in a semi-circle for a directed lesson.

Tying with Caroline and Maya, first place winners Robert Ororzco, Gregory Calva, and Francisco Do Diego, Jr. created the Fan Hat. At the back of the hat, a motor powered by four AA batteries is connected to long wires which lead to two spinning circles. With the flick of a switch, the fans on either side of the hat work to cool the hat’s wearer.