The Massapequa School District’s Invention Convention made a comeback this year on March 13, as fifth graders from the six elementary schools showcased their unique ideas for new products. At the McKenna Elementary School senior center, 58 students from the Magnet program displayed their inventions for parents and teachers.
Formally a districtwide event, it was held at the building level for several years. Supervisor of Elementary STEM Katie Fernandez said it was time to return to the program’s roots by bringing all of the young inventors to one space.
“I’m glad we were able to come back together as a district,” she said. “It was exciting for the students to see each other’s creations. There were so many different ideas.”
There were 44 total inventions, as students could either work individually or with a team. The process started in September as students learned about the history of inventions and studied some notable innovations like the light bulb. After watching some clips from the TV show “Shark Tank,” Magnet students began brainstorming ideas. They started by identifying a common problem, then creating a solution.
As the process continued, students build prototypes, did market research and created an advertising plan. The final step was preparing a tri-fold board presentation for Invention Convention.
Lockhart Elementary School student Ashiyana G. invented footwear that goes over a person’s shoes at the beach, to avoid getting sand in their shoes. She said the idea came from her love of the beach, and thinking about the one drawback to going there.
Ashiyana’s favorite part of the project was sewing the fabric together to make her prototype.
“I liked seeing how it was coming together,” she said. “When I did test it, it worked!”
Birch Lane students Luke L. and Jameson M. created Dog Buddie 5000, a robot that gives a dog food and water, and also plays with it, when the humans aren’t home. The invention also has cameras in the eyes so owners can check in on their dogs. The boys said that the process involved a lot of trial and error to get their invention just right.
Ms. Fernandez said that the inventions were creative, innovative and reflected outside-of-the-box thinking. This year’s inventors were led by Magnet teachers, Amanda Albert, Kelsey Downey, Hannah Fiorentine, Lisa Gennardo, Tracey Perles, Michelle Scott and Jennifer Tand.