Student inventors make a 'splash' with new toy, win competition

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Four Catholic school students in the St. Louis area just finished sixth grade with a bang.

Alexis Jennings, Gloria Maciorowski, Melissa Rey and Jack Terschluse are the Neon Warriors, a team of inventors who won the grand prize in the East Coast Nationals TOYchallenge competition. The Neon Warriors invented Splash Dash, a fitness-focused outdoor tag game that involves "blasting" opponents with splash balls. "We went through a lot of designs before we came up with the right one," Melissa told the St. Louis Review, the official publication of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. "It was really fun to see our ideas working and in action." "My teammates and I started working on this project in early October," said Alexis. "I love putting in all the work and, at the end, knowing the accomplishments my teammates and I have made is very rewarding." Gloria agreed. "I loved inventing the game." Jack added, "I learned one person can't do it all. You always need help on a project like this. A team is like a puzzle. You can't put together the puzzle if you don't have the pieces or the help from team members." All four students are from Chesterfield. The girls are at Incarnate Word School, which Jack attended until he transferred to Chaminade College Preparatory School this year. The East Coast Nationals, held in May at Sigma Xi Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C., was one of two final rounds of TOYchallenge, an annual contest sponsored by Sally Ride Science company. Co-sponsors included the Northrop Grumman Foundation and Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. More than 350 teams competed across the country, with 50 making it to each of two finals. The West Coast final at the end of April at the San Diego Aerospace Museum in California yielded its own prize-winning team. The grand prize is a Kennedy Space Center weekend VIP tour this summer that includes air travel, along with a trophy. "I want to be an astronaut when I grow up, so I can't wait until our trip to the Kennedy Space Center," said Melissa. The Neon Warriors credited Incarnate Word science teacher Jim Cibulka with helping them create their invention. "I helped them with the design, I helped when they had questions," Cibulka said. "These are some hard-working kids. They get really good grades. They are very smart, very self-motivated. They are amazing." TOYchallenge aims to interest middle-school students, especially girls, in science and engineering. Principal sponsor Sally Ride Science was founded by astronaut Sally Ride to encourage girls to explore the world of science. One of the event's requirements is that girls make up at least half of each team. The toy and game competition has three categories - games for the family, toys that teach, and "get out and play." That last category, described by TOYchallenge as "a sporty toy that gets you off the couch," was the one the Chesterfield youngsters chose for strong personal reasons. "We decided on a game that allowed the players to get some exercise after our teammate Jack was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes last summer," said Melissa. "We learned that exercise helps keep blood-sugar level in check, so we wanted to invent a game that would especially benefit people like Jack who have diabetes." The team also wanted a toy that would appeal to a wide range of youths, Jack said. "So we thought that we needed to generalize our toy. And we came up with Splash Dash." The game works like this: Players, wearing special vests, use a slingshot-type mechanism to toss lightweight sponge balls at one another. The object is to avoid being hit while staying within the boundaries. "They asked me, 'How can we show who won?'" Cibulka said. "I told them about indicator paper, which turns red when you get baking soda and water on it." So the Neon Warriors designed vests of indicator paper in a grid format and soaked sponge balls in a mixture of baking soda and water. When a ball hit the vest, it made a red square on the vest grid. Splash Dash, which is aimed at children age 8 and older, is played with an electronic sensor field formed by a custom-built transmitter and receiver. If a player steps out of the boundary, the laser beams are crossed and the electronic sensor emits a beep. Each step outside the boundary adds 5 points to a player's score. The player with the lowest score and fewest red squares on the vest is the winner. "The game is a blast," said Barbara Rey. "Kids age 8 and up love to chase each other around, hurl splash balls and get wet!" The team worked long and hard and enjoyed every step. "I learned that working hard is the only way to get things done," said Gloria. "I also learned that if you have pride and faith in something, follow through with it. You never know how things will turn out."

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops