OTTUMWA— Over 100 young Ottumwa inventors recently demonstrated their ingenuity during the Ottumwa Invention Convention held Tuesday, January 24 at Ottumwa High School. Thirty-eight students were selected by the judges as winners.
Student winners selected were: Kindergarten, Brityn Butler and Alison Cutsforth; first grade, Mackenzie Payne; second grade, Anna Wellings; third grade, Jilienne Butler and Andrea Burger; and fourth grade, Macy Duff, Alli Bookin-Nosbisch, and Tommy Cutsforth. Fifth grade winners included: Bailey Heilman, Morgan Greiner, Jim Kellner, Breanna Smith, Ryley Hougland, Christian Silva-Zuniga, Kaleigh VanDenBerg, Danielle Rich, Emily Grooms, Helen Altfillish, Ciera Howard, Ellie Kjer, Shayleigh Dunham, Lily Anderson, Dylan Maloy, and Jack Ryan.
Middle school winners included sixth grade, Jarrett Blunt, Dillon Berg, Dakota Garrison, Mariah Smith, Morgan Miller, Savannah Ford, Melody Trucano, Riley Albertson, Jenna Post, Sydney Cormeny, and Ally Vitko; and seventh grade, Madaline Hucks and Kalina Eskew.
These students received medals donated by John Deere Ottumwa Works. The winners selected
will move onto the state Invent Iowa qualification process. If students proceed through the state
qualification process, they will travel to the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering in April.
The Ottumwa Invention Convention is presented each year by the Elementary Gifted and
Talented Program. TAG teachers Breanna Hinmon, Ann Youngman, and Hillary Gatlin present
inventing lessons to students to stimulate creative thinking and problem solving.
Judges for the 2012 event were Cayle Harmon-Moore, Francie Perry, Ashley Sims, Amber Pargmann
Chad Borkgren, Logan Trueblood, Nolan Eakins, Larry Valentine, Jeffrey Krafka, Kelli Martino,
Austin Jones, Mike Tucker, Jordan Rappenecker, Jennifer Horner, Marsha Parker, Joe Dilling,
Mark Pieper, and Beth Takemoto.
