Creativity Channeling Convention Challenges Students

They see a problem, problem solve a solution, invent a product and prove their hypothesis with a detailed presentation. Are these geniuses from a big think tank? No, these innovators are fourth and fifth grade students at Center School in East Hampton. They have been chosen to participate in the Connecticut Invention Convention.

Last week, the gym at Center School was turned into a showcase of inventions. Each student set up their display and gave their presentations to a trio of judges. The inventors were judged on five areas: their presentation, the originality of the invention, attention to detail, adherence to guidelines and the purpose and practicality of the invention.

They have to keep a log of everything they do starting with the idea for their invention. Sketches of the final product and a list of steps necessary to bring the project to fruition are used to document their thought process.

The Center School teachers supervising the Invention Convention are Jon Baine, Mary Sawyer, Kate Cote and Linda Earley.

You can see the wide range of imagination these students possess just by looking at some of the names they chose for their inventions: The Seed Tuber, Sour-or-Not, Heated Hockey Bag, Mara-Toy, Seasonal Window, Heated Hoodie and Stable Table.

Fifth grader Allison Bragan is right on the cutting edge of fashion with her Velcro V-Neck. The idea came to Allison while watching a movie with her mom.

“One woman in the movie had a very low cut top and my mom said it was inappropriate," Allison said. "After I went to bed I kept thinking about it and the idea just came to me. I thought it would help a lot of women.”

Bragan also learned a valuable lesson most of us have learned at some time. There is always room for improvement.

“I should have included how it worked in pictures in my presentation,” she said.

How her Velcro V-Neck works is so simple, it is ingenious. Pieces of velcro are attached to the inside of a v-neck blouse and also on a triangle of material. When both pieces are put together, it is a modest v-neck.

Fourth grader Nicolas Gioielli said his idea came when he was thinking about a friend. His Skurf Board will be used “When you are skating and you see a friend on a surf board and you don’t want to go all the way home to get your surf board. You just slide the wheels off your Skurf Board and you have a surf board.

“The most important thing the student inventors take away from this experience is being able to have some pride in what they do," Cote said. "It’s a challenge. It’s extra curricular and takes a lot of time.”

Of the 35 students sharing their invention with the judges, only 12 will be able to go on to the 28th Annual CT Invention Convention at UConn on May 14. They are: Fourth grade – Molly Conklin, Hannen Fiazuddin, Lauren Kasperski, Nicolas Gioielli and Luke Shroeder. Representing the fifth grade will be Ben Planeta, Kelley Williams, Jonathan Terry, Sarah Caramma, Emily Pedevillano, Emma Donohue and Emma Cook.

From Charles Goodyear to Eli Whitney, Connecticut boasts a heritage of inventive spirits that brought the world many firsts. So it is quite possible one of these students will use their creative problem solving and go on to invent something the world needs.