2002 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program Winners List
Grades 2-5

First Place
Tool: No Turn Door Knob Opener
Student: Alison L. Sapack
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Dawn Dinallo
School: Longmeadow Elementary
Middlebury, CT

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Description:
A lever attached to a doorknob opens the door with the push of an arm.

Second Place
Tool: The Hands Free Refrigerator Door Opener
Student: Jordan R. Butler
Grade: 3rd
Teacher: Velya Jancz-Urban
School: Booth Free
Roxbury, CT

Description:
A step-on device attached to a refrigerator opens the door.

Third Place
Tool: The No-Mess Paint Mixer
Student: Jason Graaf
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Vivian D. Levine
School: Davenport School
Stamford, CT

Description:
A handle atop the lid, and drive shaft and paddle below, stir a can of paint neatly.

First Place
Tool: Parcel Pal
Student: Kayleigh C. Inkley
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Linda S. Holman
School: Assumption School
Wood Ridge, NJ

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Description:
A padded "C"-shaped hangar holds full plastic shopping bags, making it easier and less painful to carry them.

Second Place
Tool: Hookdriver
Student: Jennifer Chiang
Grade: 3rd
Teacher: Arlene T. Erik
School: Liberty Corner School
Liberty Corner, NJ

Description:
A tool that twists like a screwdriver and has a clipper at the end helps to install decorative hooks.

Third Place
Tool: "Pole"-ter-"Twist"
Student: Ben D. Knight
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Ann-Marie Newbury
School: Rippling Woods Elementary
Glen Burnie, MD

Description:
A wheel and axle inside a PVC pipe attached to a flagpole keeps a flag's ropes from twisting.

First Place
Tool: G.R.A.S.P.P. Device
Student: Jake S. Klimek
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Rahonda D. Everett
School: Central School
Huntsville, AL

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Description:
Helps to grasp, remove, and safely place a pan being taken from an oven.

Second Place
Tool: The Quad Pet Leash
Student: William C. Shamblen
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Stephanie L. Gleason
School: Summit Hill Elementary
Alpharetta, GA

Description:
Tubing and string help a disabled person unlatch his dog's leash.

Third Place
Tool: Swing Myself Hammock
Student: Joseph A. Tucker
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Liz A. Herwig
School: Sweetwater Episcopal Academy
Longwood, FL

Description:
A hammock attached to a frame swings with the help of a pulley system.

First Place
Tool: The Handi-Rake
Student: Jenna L. Ross
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Anne M. Kucher
School: Schwarzkoff Elementary School
Sterling Heights, MI

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Description:
An "S"-curved rake lifts and moves on wheels, helping those with trouble using one of their arms.

Second Place
Tool: Magna Broom
Student: Thomas L. Kirschenbauer
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Jane C. Medvin
School: William Rainey Harper Elementary School
Cleveland, OH

Description:
A magnetic strip added to a push broom helps pick up metal screws and nails, as well as dirt and dust.

Third Place
Tool: Adjustable Children's Table and Chairs
Student: Ryan O. Plunkett
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Theresa K. Ferguson
School: St. Michael School
Wheaton, IL

Description:
Different heights are created when a notched top is laid on scissors-like legs.

First Place
Tool: The Easy Crutches
Student: Tessa M. Marek
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Rozanna May
School: Thomas Arnold Elementary
Salado, TX

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Description:
A lever and pedal attached to a crutch provide a resting place for an injured foot or leg.

Second Place
Tool: Mr. Umbrella
Student: Christina Marie Williams
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Elizabeth K. Ward
School: St. Vincent's Episcopal School
Bedford, TX

Description:
An umbrella with a water pump and misters provides shade and a cooling spray.

Third Place
Tool: Push Bar Soap
Student: Trent J. Wagnon
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Rozanna May
School: Thomas Arnold Elementary
Salado, TX

Description:
A push-up container with a carver-to-fit bar of soap inside provides convenient clean-ups.

First Place
Tool: Scooter Stand
Student: Christian K. Conley
Grade: 3rd
Teacher: Michael S. Peterson
School: Buena Vista Elementary
Palmdale, CA

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Description:
Shelf brackets screwed into a wooden circle enable a scooter to stand on its own.

Second Place
Tool: Gutter Sweep
Student: Chelsea T. Ricketts
Grade: 3rd
Teacher: Vicky V. Fruchtman
School: Greenbrook School
Danville, CA

Description:
A broom head attached to a curved tube and an eight-foot extension pole helps to clean the gutters.

Third Place
Tool: The Fruit Picker
Student: Sara A. Bitarafan
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Diane J. de Sequera
School: La Jolla Country Day School
La Jolla, CA

Description:
Two long wooden spoons crisscrossed and hinged at the center pick hard-to-reach fruit from trees.