By Virginia Coleman-Prisco
Photo by Marinell Crippen

Botelle’s very own Rex Crippen, age 9, has advanced to the nationals in this year’s Invention Convention, after qualifying at the local and state levels. The Invention Convention is an opportunity for students to practice applying science and engineering skills, especially critical thinking and problem-solving. Crippen invented a product called You Got Mail, which he describes as “an indicator on the top of your mailbox that could help you know that you have mail.” The indicator is easy to install and can be seen from far away. The flag tucks into the door latch when the mailbox is empty, and when the mail carrier delivers mail the flag pops up to signal the delivery.

Nichole Pitruzzello, who teaches one of Botelle’s combined third and fourth grade classes, explains that “we go through lessons for Invention Convention that introduce each step of the engineering design process with an associated activity, and then finish the unit with STEM challenges like building a marshmallow catapult or the egg drop challenge. These challenges help kids work together in teams to achieve an engineering goal and go through all the steps of the engineering design process together.” The goal of the inventions is to solve a problem that the students have encountered in their lives. The problems could be anything, but they must spend a lot of time inside and outside of school working on the inventions.

Crippen had the idea for You Got Mail while waiting for his school bus to come. He came up with the idea to attach a flag to a spring so that people can know whether they have mail without having to travel to their mailboxes. This is especially helpful for people who are at risk of falling or who have long driveways. The user can secure the flag into the door of the mailbox by closing it. Then, when the mail carrier opens the door to put the mail inside, the flag pops up to let the user know that they have mail. His invention attaches to any mailbox without needing a drill or hardware.