JFK students proudly display their inventions during annual convention.
By: Elaine Worden
JAMESBURG John F. Kennedy School’s gym echoed with the sound of children laughing as students set up for the long-awaited Invention Convention.
On Wednesday morning, approximately 90 students sat at tables set up along the perimeter of the gym floor, each with a unique creation placed before them as part of the school’s annual fair.
All students in kindergarten through fifth grade had a chance to participate in the convention by creating either an invention or innovation using any materials and forming anything they wanted.
The only rules: There was a limit of four students to a group and their invention must be helpful to themselves or someone else.
As different classes toured the gym, the students eagerly explained their inventions to their schoolmates.
"They’re very passionate about their own inventions," said Karen Harris, a third-grade teacher.
Ms. Harris, along with a group of other teachers, helped moderate the invention convention and guided the students along the way while they brainstormed and made their inventions.
Ms. Harris said that even if the students couldn’t physically make their invention, or even if it didn’t work, they could still bring in a drawing or model of their idea.
Inventions ranged from practical and family oriented to pet palaces and ways to tidy up one’s home.
On the far end of the gym, a circle of students cheered and yelled as they watched second-grader Jeff van de Sande start up his invention, a hovercraft snowplow.
The invention came complete with a leaf blower motor, a hovercraft skirt and a shovel. After turning on the motor, the hovercraft inflated. Jeff sat on his knees with a blue shovel in his hand positioned directly in front of him while the hovercraft floated across the ground as he shoveled some invisible snow.
"It helps people so they don’t slip on the ice when they’re shoveling snow," he said.
Madison Miller, a third-grader, created The Board Game of Jamesburg. The game had a colorful aerial-view drawing of Jamesburg, with square spaces around the perimeter on which to move the game pieces.
Jenna Rustsky, a fifth-grader, along with kindergartner Amanda Longo, created their very own Teddy Bear Cleaners.
The pair’s cleaner was a large box with different cleaning stations positioned on top.
"Amanda’s bears would always get dirty and then we’d have to put them in the washing machine and it would always ruin them," said Jenna.
Amanda pulled out a brown stuffed bear to demonstrate. First the bear is dipped into a powder bath, and then the powder is brushed off with a hairbrush. The bear then receives a spot cleaner with baby wipes and is dusted off. When the bear is all clean, they can hit up the accessory station, a little box full of beaded jewelry to dress up.
Fourth-graders Thomas Tehan and Chris Kulaticoski made a poster of their dream invention, called The Big Music Player.
"It’s a CD player with a DVD player, a TV, a game system and surround sound," said Chris.
Brothers Alan and Bryan Jedie invented a pencil holder with a sharpener inside.
"My dad usually breaks his pencils and then he has to go and find a sharpener," said Alan, a third-grader.
But with Alan and his first-grade brother’s invention, they never have to search for a sharpener again, because it’s attached to the inside of the pencil holder.
Morgan Sanguedolce, a third-grader, invented a new way to organize games in her closet. Instead of keeping them in the boxes, she made bags to put the game pieces in to save space.
"I like it that now my games don’t have to be everywhere all over my shelves anymore," Morgan said.
Second-grader Hayley Miller and her brother, Connor, who is in kindergarten, made The Have a Drink While You Ride Your Bike Helmet. The helmet had a built-in compartment to stick a juice box or beverage in with a straw extending from the helmet that could reach to the rider’s mouth.
Third-grader Hannah Moy created a math study aid using a shoebox set on its side with four wires strung across holding colored bead, almost like a mini abacus. Each row symbolizes a different counting placeholder. The top row of beads was the thousands, followed by a row of hundreds and then tens and ones.
Hannah hopes her study aid will help others that may have difficulties with math, like her brother.
"My brother always has trouble on his math homework," said Hannah. "Maybe if I have kids one day they can use it too."