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With the appropriate instructions, guidance and encouragement from their teachers, 128 Samuel Staples Elementary School fourth-graders students created inventions that solved a problem the students have encountered in their own lives. They created prototypes, tested them and made adjustments and redesigns as needed. The children then prepared visual displays and gave verbal presentations to the judges at the Invention Convention on April 1.
The students followed scientific requirements as outlined by Connecticut Invention Convention, a non-profit that promotes creative problem-solving in students grade K-8.
The Samuel Staples Invention Convention was the inspiration of fourth-grade teachers Diana Remmell and Emily Marchetti. These teachers approached the Easton Learning Foundation to coordinate the judges for the competition, to fund the medals for all of the students and to fund the convention registration fees. The foundation wholeheartedly offered support since the convention aligned with the fourth-grade science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum and inspired students to create and innovate.
Twelve Samuel Staples finalists will be going to UConn on May 14 to compete at the state-wide Invention Convention hosted by the UConn School of Engineering.
Bernadette Waterman is the president of the Easton Learning Foundation.
Did you invent something and put it to use? Send your story to shenry@mainstreetconnect.us.
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