Students waiting to hear if they qualify for State Invention Convention

3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade students from Decorah, St. Benedict's and North Winneshiek are hoping their invention will be one of 25 inventions chosen to exhibit at the Iowa Invention Convention in April.

The students had their inventions evaluated recently at the Keystone AEA Invention Convention held at Johnson's Reception Hall in Elkader. 18 Decorah Middle School and Carrie Lee Elementary School students showed off inventions such as a portable cat tree, a diabetic license plate and a kitchen grease remover.

The Invent Iowa program encourages students to work individually or in pairs to identify a problem and create an invention to solve that problem. The program encourages brainstorming, research and creativity. The young inventors must keep a journal of their failures as well as their successes. At the end of the program they create a display about their new product.

(Row 1, left to right): Kolin Krauskopf, Clay Johansen, Daniel Schwartzhoff, Evangeline Holyoake, Emma Rolfs, Emma Fretheim and Berndt Bohr. (Row 2, left to right): Megan Pope, Ayla Carbonell, Nathan Larson, Luke Stock, Shania Kelly and Micala Folkedahl. (Row 3, left to right): John Ayers-Fosbenner, Robert Berger, Melissa Holyoake, Ashley Gulrud and Daria Lundtvedt.