Around 150 kindergarten through eighth grade students recently demonstrated their ingenuity by creating inventions for this year’s Ottumwa Invention Convention held Monday, March 2nd, 2015 at Ottumwa High School. Students represented the Ottumwa Community School District, Seton Catholic, and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District. Thirty-five students were selected by the judges as winners.
Winners selected: First Grade, Jiara Doudou, Douma Elementary; Second Grade, Annabelle Teel, Liberty Elementary; Third Grade, Brooklyn Bettis and Megan Lobberecht, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, and Anna Leah Bradford, Horace Mann; Fourth Grade, Carson Kenney, Katie Shewry, and Denisha Dean, Liberty Elementary; Fifth Grade, Cataleena Rodriguez, Genessis Rico, Courtney Beal, Erica Carnes, Trevor Summers, Adam Grenier, Nicole Sutherland, Owen Tanner, Tristan Lemeuse, Kanyon Cody, North Lindell, and Sunshine Laursen, Liberty Elementary; Annie Barrios, Kevin Kleinfelder, Jerin Fridinger, and Marlenne Rivera, Wilson Elementary; Calvin Neely, Eisenhower Elementary; Cale Leonard, Seton Catholic; Sixth Grade, Donavan Newland, Braydon Songer, Max Thomason, Alex Hopkins, Joe Hammer, Steven Durr, and Brae Simmers, Evans Middle School; Seventh Grade, Brayan Merida-Alvarez, Evans Middle School; and Eighth Grade, Fitime Aliu, Evans Middle School.
These students received medals donated by John Deere Ottumwa Works. Judges for the event representing John Deere Ottumwa Works, Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa High School, and NOEL Insurance were: David Klas, Steven Seifert, Dar Fish, Kelli Martino, David Finke, Greg Ramse, Stephanie Ellis, David Drahozal, Larry Valentine, Matt Scott, Mark Schuler, Jeremy Vittetoe, Marshall Bohlmann, Jackie Lawrence, Deb Cramblit, Susan Gates, Alex Toft, Jared McNutt, Jeff Henderson, and Martha Scharff.
The local Invention Convention is presented each year by the Ottumwa Community School District’s Gifted and Talented Program consisting of Teri King, TAG Director; Brooke Gevock, Ottumwa High School TAG teacher; Heidi Bradford, Evans Middle School TAG teacher; and Breanna Hinmon and Ann Youngman, elementary TAG teachers.
