Invention Convention at OLL

Back row- left to right:   Mason Adrine- Soul 2 Sole Kit Liam Delaney- Instant Aglets Ryan O'Connell - Not-so-permanent Larry Hunt- The All Mighty Stick Mya Thornton- Stretchers Rebecca Young- The Grip Slip   Front Row - left to right:   Charlie Eppich- Rakinator Dylan Whitlow- No Trip Clip Aidan Staunton- No Lack Pack Tyler Allen- Super Brella Declan Nosse- The Medi Teddy Natalie Rutkowski- Yes No Mess   Not pictured: Jada Howze - Floamble;  Rebecca Hamper- Dry in a Snap

Each year the 6th graders at Our Lady of the Lake School become inventors, through an innovative program provided by Invention League. Invention League is an inclusive, educational, non-profit organization that offers year-long educational support, Inventor Experiences and the Invention and Entrepreneurship State Final Competition to students, schools and districts of Ohio, all at no cost to the families or districts. Invention League is aligned with the STEMIE Coalition and the National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo (NICEE). All of which means that students right here at Our Lady of the Lake School have access to high-quality, national resources that help inspire their creative genius.

OLL School has been enthusiastically participating in this program for years, and on Tuesday, March 21st, the school held its annual OLL School Invention Convention. Twenty volunteers from the community came to judge the 33 student inventors on not only the invention they developed and prototype they built, but also on how well they could articulate the process. Students learned first-hand how to take their ideas from concept to reality, how to solve problems and address needs, and how to hone their presentation skills and speak confidently in front of judges. Their work was really impressive – there were so many good ideas, it was hard to narrow down the winners!

Along with being recognized with awards at the convention, several students were given the opportunity to create and submit a short video which will be used as their application to the state competition that will be held July 30th at the Ohio State Fair. We wish them luck in that competition – and also know that creativity, hard work and a strong education are going to take these students far.