Westlake Elementary Students Compete as Young Inventors

Three Westlake elementary students were nominated by the District to take part in the Invention Convention's Ohio Choice Inventor’s Award, where people can vote online for a young inventor until Sunday at noon.

Each vote costs $1, but the money goes toward rewarding young student inventors, as well as their peers.

The nominated students are Dover Elementary second grader Addison Navratil, Holly Lane Elementary third grader Sydney Pajer and Hilliard Elementary fourth grader Maeve Stofko. Their inventions include the Talking Backpack, the Fluffy Friend Feeder and the Backseat Buddy respectively.

Under her page on the convention website’s voting section, Navratil said the idea behind her invention was that “kids forget items at home or school that need to be in their backpack. The talking backpack helps you remember what to take back and forth.”

Stofko’s page said she wants to solve the epidemic of neck cramps kids get while sleeping in the the car, while Pajer’s concept came from forgetting to feed her cat.

According to their website, the award is an opportunity for Ohio school districts to nominate and highlight innovative and outstanding students who are using their problem solving skills to build a better tomorrow. The program aims to foster curiosity, discovery, innovation and problem-solving skills in students at all levels of education.

The winner will be recognized on stage with a special award at each of three regional competitions this spring, while the winner’s school district will receive 50 percent of funds raised through the contest. Remaining funds are donated to the Invention Convention program to be used to offer the program to more Ohio schools next school year.