Two local kids’ inventions earn spot in national competition

IDAHO FALLS – Tessa Warner is hoping her invention will win judges over at a national competition next month.

The second-grader at American Heritage Charter School in Idaho Falls is headed to Dearborn, Michigan in June to present her creation of the Jolleyball to judges at the Henry Ford Museum. Jolleyball is a device designed to make volleyball more accessible to all ages and abilities.

If she wins, she could walk away with a patent application, an academic scholarship and a cash prize.

Over the last several months, Tessa’s invention has garnered awards at local, regional and state competitions. Tessa’s mom, Amanda Warner, tells EastIdahoNews.com she’s proud of her daughter’s hard work and thrilled about this unexpected opportunity.

“We didn’t think much of it (at first). We figured she’d get a little participation ribbon, but (the project) was quite in-depth,” Amanda says. “She had to make quite a few revisions to meet the criteria for nationals. She had to do market research and conduct interviews. When she was uploading everything to the national registration, my husband and I were like, ‘I’m not even sure I did a project of this caliber in high school.’ So it’s really impressive,” Amanda says.

Earlier this year, the 7-year-old Idaho Falls girl started participating in an after-school club focused on the competition’s theme of “kids inventing their future.” Tessa enjoys playing volleyball at the YMCA, and that inspired her to create a drone-powered volleyball that hovers in place above the ground instead of bouncing. The idea behind it is to help the elderly, or those with special needs or other disadvantages, to enjoy the sport.

Tessa developed a prototype (meaning it’s not a working model) over several months. It’s a drone surrounded by string in the shape of a ball (pictured above) to demonstrate the concept for judges. If Tessa’s invention wins the national competition, she has the option of competing in the global tournament.

“They have the standard first, second and third place (awards) … and there’s quite a few special category prizes they can get nominated for as well,” Amanda explains. “We’re told by the director of the invention convention for Idaho … that (the Gem State), historically, does very well at the national convention.”

Tessa is just one of the students who will be representing her school at the three-day tournament. Third-grader Hunter Gillespie will also be attending to pitch his concept for the Animal Watch-er, which alerts people about the presence of potentially dangerous animals while they are outside.

“The Animal Watch-er is a watch that you wear on your wrist that works with infrared technology,” Hunter’s mom, Liz Gillespie, says. “The user can wear sensors on their back, belt or whatever they’re wearing while hiking or doing anything outdoors. The infrared sensor will detect a heat source and alert the user to the potential danger.”

Hunter got the idea from watching a TV show about animals where someone mentioned 4,000 people are killed by snakes every year. That triggered a memory of a story his dad told him about a hiking trip when Hunter was a baby. His mom was carrying him in a backpack and she almost stepped on a rattlesnake.

“He put those two things together and started talking to us about developing the watch,” Liz explains.

Tessa and Hunter explain how their inventions work in the video above.

Hunter was selected out of a group of eight kids to meet with the head of the University of Idaho’s engineering department. He’s also in the process of applying for a provisional patent for his idea.

The national competition is happening June 7 to June 9. Tessa and Hunter are working together on fundraisers for their traveling expenses. Since March 10, Tessa’s GoFundMe has earned $1,990.

Hunter is raising funds through another platform here.

“I think it’s neat that he came up with the idea on his own with very little help,” says Liz. “He’s put a lot of time and effort into this project and I’m very proud of him.”

Tessa’s parents are equally proud of their daughter. They’re looking forward to making this trip with her and are eager to see what happens.

“It’s really impressive the standards they hold the kids to and to see them achieve it. It’s been really fun to see how hard they work. Both inventions are designed to help other people and we were really appreciative of the thoughtfulness of it,” says Amanda.