Lakewood Winners (from left to right): Isaac Karel, Saige Rook, Abe Dalisky, Maureen Marshall, Stephen Zanghi, Zachary Dudzik, and Kent Adams

On Saturday, January 12, over 140 of the Cleveland Area’s best student inventors showcased their creations at The Second Annual Cleveland Regional Invention Convention, held at The Great Lakes Science Center. Participants were pre-selected from over 250 schools from districts in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina Counties to take part in this year’s competition. Six Lakewood students from Lincoln Elementary brought home awards, including the Grand Prize.

The Grand Prize Award, a $2,500 college scholarship, went to second grader Saige Rook, for her invention of American Chopsticks. She solved the everyday problem of getting food on a fork or spoon without using your fingers. Abe Dalisky earned the 1st place award for 2nd Graders, a $500 college scholarship, for his invention called the Teacher Tac, a new way to post notes without poking holes in the note. Zachary Dudzik earned the 1st place award for 3rd Graders, a $500 college scholarship, for his invention called the Light-up Marshmallow Grip, a pencil grip that lights up when you squeeze it. Three students earned Superior Inventor Awards and $50 US Savings Bonds: Kent Adams for his Great Screen Cleaner, which allows you to vacuum up dust but not Legos, Stephen Zanghi for his Kidz Leaf Pusher, which enables kids to help push leaves, and Isaac Karel for Monopconnect, a game board that enables kids to play more than one property-trading game at a time by adding a new twist to the old favorite.

Just Think Inc. is the non-profit group behind the event. They estimate that over one million Ohio kids have participated in The Invention Convention during the last ten years. These kids have won over $300,000 worth of scholarships and prizes. Now in its second year in the Cleveland area, local students came to display their creativity and problem-solving skills in strange and fascinating ways.

With a science-fair like atmosphere complete with tri-fold boards and models, the students, ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade, stood and answered questions. Hundreds of northeastern Ohioans checked out the inventions. The Convention differs from traditional science fairs in that the goal is for students to find a problem that they face everyday and work through a process to a solution.

A surprise came at the end of the Convention for second grader Isaac Karel. A man approached him and offered to buy his game. After a bit of discussion and haggling, Isaac sold his prototype of Monopconnect. “It made me feel amazed that somebody bought it,” said Isaac, when asked about the best part of the Convention.

The six students were guided by their teacher, Mrs. Marshall, who teaches the 2/3 class at Lincoln. She brought the idea to her class and prepared eleven of them for the Regional Invention Convention. The young inventors had to complete an inventor's journal and polish a model of their invention. Each participant was then subject to two interviews by judges, unaided by their parents, who had to watch from outside the room and lip-read the answers. The end result far exceeds the awards received on Saturday, though. The students truly gained real world experience in problem-solving and creativity that will stay with them forever.

You can learn more about the Invention Convention at www.just-think-inc.com