Inventions abound at Bayshore Elementary
Bayshore Elementary School science teacher James Guffey, Jr. has been a science teacher for the last 20 years. Still, he said student work at the inaugural “Invention Convention” held at the school is some of the best projects he’s ever seen.
School Principal Lynn Herrell agreed.
“I really think our kids are going on to the District Level,” she noted. “These are the scientists of tomorrow, and we could be buying their products.”
The two were so impressed with student work that they could not say enough about the activity.
“They needed to think of a problem and figure out how to solve it,” said Herrell of the school activity. “Then they needed to write a paper about it. It was very rigorous.”
“These are definitely the best projects I’ve seen in 20 years,” added Guffey, the fifth grade science teacher. “These Bayshore kids are just amazing. About 80 percent are improving to existing inventions, but we also have brand new ideas – incredible stuff.”
The “convention” was a school activity long in the making.
“We’ve been planning Invention Convention all year long, part of a national program, to foster the science technology inventor experience,” he said.
He noted that the purpose of Bayshore Elementary Invention Convention was to be a pipeline to future scientists, engineers, doctors, and visionary workers of the 21st century.
“The problem-solving skills learned in this program use one’s core curriculum learned to date. To create a solution to a real-life problem or ‘pet peeve’ successfully, a student discovers him or herself in the process.”
The Invention Convention was also to be a platform for Bayshore Elementary schoolchildren to demonstrate communication, thinking and problem solving skills through the art of inventing, he continued.
“It is also an opportunity to recognize students for creative problem solving, and provide our students with the opportunity to meet, compete, and collaborate. Also, many elementary students and their parents experience their first real opportunity to compete in an academic competition.”
He added that students explored engineering and science as possible careers.
“The world faces many challenges now more than ever and we need to create more opportunities to attract young students to science and engineering.”
Guffey talked about several outstanding projects.
“One student came up with a process to take a jell on airlines. We have another that made a special folding chair for near a fire – part of that is if gets too hot, the chair backs up.”
A lot of students got geared up in classes.
“It was up to them to create prototypes so that people could look at their ideas, provide working models.”
Eighty-six fifth graders throughout the school participated.
“This is our first annual event of this kind,” said Guffey. “I had six adults from the community come in and help judge. We put word out we wanted to get independent judges, and we used a national scoring sheet, the same they use at the world convention for projects like this. Based on scores there were 12 top winners – we had three best of show, three first and three second and the third places. We also had 16 honorable mentions.”
Invention conventions of this type have been around quite awhile, he continued.
“In January there will be a regional inventors and science fair with the Edison Festival of Lights, associated with that. We wanted to find the top kids to get them ready for festival.” The official Edison Festival of Lights Inventors Fair will then happen in February of 2010.
Judges included Sharon Rollins, Sue O Connor, Jan Morretti, Sue Chastain, Anna Ramirez and Matt Haag.