EverWonder Children’s Museum, 11 Mile Hill Road, hosted its third annual Invention Convention on Wednesday, March 4. Overall, 16 young inventors took the eight-week challenge to identify a problem and create a solution under direction from Jenn Betesh, eighth grade science teacher for Newtown Middle School. The inventors were separated into two groups based on age: kindergarten-second grade, and third-fourth grade.

All four Newtown elementary schools were represented at this year’s event, as well as some inventors from Monroe and those that are homeschooled. The inventions were judged by ten judges, including some EverWonder board members and some from Linde, a sponsor company for EverWonder.

The Inventions

Joey Skerpon created “Paper Machine,” a machine to help students lessen their trips to cubbies in school and a neat way to hold and carry school essentials, like pencils and scissors. Skerpon competed in the K-2 category.

Bennett Newman created “Winter Grower,” a greenhouse-like invention that helps plants grow in the wintertime. It includes a storage tank to hold water needed for the plants. Newman competed in the 3-4 category.

Huey Griffin created “Noley,” a robot that poops out positive notes to help people feel better when they are sad. Griffin’s inspiration for the name comes from the French word “Noel,” which means Christmas, and, “Because y is a cool letter.” Griffin competed in the K-2 category.

Brennan Smith created “The Botos 3,000.” Botos is a robot designed to pick up trash and litter around town. The robot has a head, arms, and legs, and a bag on the back to store the collected litter. Smith competed in the 3-4 category.

James Angerami created “Glove-O-Matic,” a glove with a watch so skiers do not have to take their gloves off to check the time. He created a prototype he proudly showed off to the judges and visitors at his table. Angerami competed in the K-2 category.

Jonathan Benson created “Super Cosmic Sling Shot.” Benson demonstrated his impressive knowledge of space and magnets to create this sling shot that will help space rovers and astronauts get to unexplored planets in space. Benson competed in the K-2 category.

Elijah Morris took it upon herself to address a problem plaguing modern society: pizza that is too hot. Morris created “PBC,” or “Pizza Bite Cutter.” This invention cuts pizza slices in half so they will cool down faster, thus allowing diners to enjoy their pizza faster. Morris competed in the 3-4 category.

Carson Brimer created “Cat Attractor.” This invention is to help cat owners “never hold cat toy[s] again.” It serves multiple purposes, however, as Brimer created the “Cat Attractor” to stand on its own so cats can continue to play when owners are not home, as well as a place for owners to hold the invention so their hands are hidden from their feline friends. Brimer competed in the K-2 category.

Olivia Camacho and Lily Cepeda teamed up to create “Wing Glider,” a backpack with wings to help people get off of high mountains safely. While safety was the primary goal behind the invention, Cepeda said it could be used for recreational purposes. The two competed in the K-2 category.

Cora Bednarz created “Ro-Bo-Jet,” a robot that cheers people up when they are sad. She did not stop at one robot, however; she created a little friend for Ro-Bo-Jet, so everyone has an extra friend. She had a prototype of Ro-Bo-Jet and the friend on display. Bednarz competed in the 3-4 category.

Cayden Yu created “The Easy Squeeze,” a toothbrush that dispenses toothpaste right onto the bristles. After a few unsuccessful prototypes, Yu presented his final creation at Invention Convention. Yu 3D printed a toothbrush with a compartment to hold toothpaste. The handle pushes up and dispenses a perfect dollop of toothpaste. Yu said all types of toothpaste are compatible with “The Easy Squeeze.” He competed in the 3-4 category.

Lewis Cavataro created “The Toothbrush Tank.” He also had a prototype of his invention, which helps people not put too much toothpaste on their toothbrushes. His research showed that there are eight billion people that brush their teeth every day, so this is a problem that many people face. Cavataro competed in the K-2 category.

Ryan Lichodolik created “The Tanka,” his take on the famous Roomba vacuums. He explained he really likes Roombas, so he thought, “What if I made a Roomba for your fish tank?” Thus was born “The Tanka.” Inside The Tanka is a sponge that absorbs the dirty water and poop from the tank and leaves the clean water behind. Lichodolik competed in the 3-4 category.

James Hyman created “The Wheelie Cool Rack,” a movable bike rack to help save on space and create accessibility to seasonal sporting equipment. Hyman even created a smaller model of the rack to show off to the judges which included two hooks and two compartments to hang bikes side by side, and the wheels on the bottom move in all directions. Hyman competed in the 3-4 category.

Best Presenter, Fan Favorites, And Winners

After a few minutes of deliberation, the judges came back with their winners. The award categories were for best presenter in each age group, fan favorite, and the overall winners.

The first award was for Best Presenter. The winner for the K-2 category was Benson for his Super Cosmic Sling Shot, and Hyman won for the 3-4 category for The Wheelie Cool Rack. The fan favorite winners were Griffin with his Noley robot for K-2 and Elijah Morris for her PBC in the 3-4 group.

Then, the overall winners were announced. Angerami won in the K-2 category with Glove-O-Matic, and Yu won the 3-4 category for The Easy Squeeze. EverWonder staff informed the crowd that if either of the overall winners could not make it to the state competition later this year, the Fan Favorite winners will go in their stead.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.