More than 100 kindergarten through sixth grade Ottumwa students recently demonstrated their ingenuity by creating inventions for this year’s Ottumwa Invention Convention held on Monday, January 23 at Ottumwa High School. Students represented the Ottumwa Community School District and Seton Catholic School. Judges selected 32 students as winners.
Winners selected: Kindergarten, Lydia Witt, Horace Mann Elementary; Second Grade, Juliet Golston, Horace Mann Elementary; Fourth Grade, Landon Witt, Talise Plate, and Elise Hayes, Horace Mann Elementary; Fifth Grade, Violet Hougland, Emily Ward, Vada Monaghan, Brityn Butler, Brooke Schrauben, Annabelle Tschetter, Brynn Addis, and Mia Garza, Eisenhower Elementary; Sam McElderry, Annika Hicks, Anna Bradford, and Jace Clawson, Horace Mann Elementary; Emma Neis, Katelin Valentine, Samantha Khamphilanouvong, Kara Lockwood, Daisy Ochoa, Jasmine Luedtke, Sydney Rockhold, and Caleb Norman, Liberty Elementary; and Sixth Grade, Zach McCarty, Warren Skinner, Colton Addis, Joslyn Roberts, Keegan Ewing, Brooklyn Allison, and Sara McElroy, Evans Middle School.
Any student, no matter if they were a judges' choice winner or not, have the opportunity to be considered for the State Invent Iowa competition held by the Belin Blank Center at the University of Iowa. If students register, send in their materials, and are selected for the state competition, they will compete on Thursday, April 27 in Iowa City. Winners at the state level will have the opportunity to attend the National Invention Convention in Washington D.C. in June.
These students received medals donated by John Deere Ottumwa Works. Judges for the event represented John Deere Ottumwa Works, Ottumwa High School, Indian Hills Community College, the Wapello County Attorney’s Office, Ottumwa City Council, retired Ottumwa teachers, and NOEL Insurance. Judges were: Martha Scharff, Kyle Teach, Stephanie Ellis, Robert Naeger, Larry Valentine, David Drahozal, Jeff Henderson, Matt Scott, Jacob Kappelman, Karen Pagorek, Tyler White, Benjamin Koch, Amber Pargmann, Kathy Courtney, Matt Dalbey, Amy Hering, Sam Huff, Gary Oldenburger, Alair Gregory, Kim Dreaden, and Andrew Ritland.
The local Invention Convention is presented each year by the Ottumwa School’s Talented and Gifted Program. The event coordinator is Breanna Hinmon, K-5 TAG teacher at Douma and Liberty Elementary, with help from other district TAG teachers including LeAnn Oldenburger, Heidi Bradford, and Brooke Gevock. A special thanks to the following for assisting with the event as well: Donna Bohlmann, K-12 TAG teacher at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Schools; Nicole King, 1st grade teacher at Wilson Elementary; Dawn Sievertsen, principal at Liberty Elementary; Blanca Sosa, Parent Outreach Coordinator at OHS, Ann Youngman, retired teacher; various OHS students, and numerous parents of elementary students participating.
