The St. Marys Catholic Elementary School fourth and fifth-grade students recently took part in the STEM K’NEX Challenge on March 22 at Smethport Area High School.

The object of the challenge was to develop a new environmentally-friendly product for home use. The students worked for several months researching ideas to incorporate into their projects.

As a result of their efforts, the fourth-grade students created a portable eco-friendly refrigerator that could be carried anywhere, while the fifth-grade students constructed a portable air conditioner. They designed the products, took pictures for their blueprints, documented their daily activities in their journals, and prepared presentations for the competition. Both inventions were powered by a battery-operated fan.

Pictured are the students that participated in the competition: fifth-grade students Cecilia Dornisch, Aaron Lanzel, Alexa Chamberlin and Jordan Lasko displaying their creation “Eco-Air” (left), and fourth-grade students Audree Meyer, Frankie Smith, Andrew Mawn, and Casey Deiley with their design “Eco-Fridge” (right).

Engineers in the making! Great work, everyone!