Jan 25, 2017 2 min read

CHARLEROI – Charleroi Area middle school students will be inventing products under a pilot program being launched with the help of Intermediate Unit 1 and a grant from Chevron.

The school board Tuesday approved a two-year agreement to pilot the Inventionland program, with the IU providing the curriculum and staff training.

Inventionland is a Pittsburgh company that helps bring an idea through the process of invention through patent and then marketing and selling. In addition to working with individuals, the company has an education curriculum available for schools, which is a hands-on approach to think outside of the box and teaches students to make an idea reality.

The program is being funded with a $20,000 grant from Chevron and the IU. The program will begin as a pilot program this year and become fully integrated at the middle school next year. The program has started this semester in the middle school and includes teacher curriculum training.

The curriculum is a nine-step process that helps to bring an idea to creation, marketing, patenting and selling.

“It is sort of like the show Shark Tank,” said school district Superintendent Ed Zelich. He added that many of the infomercials on television are products that Inventionland helped to bring to fruition.

The program will involve three teachers: Kim McGinnity, language arts; Howard Johnson, science; and Michael Flaherty, art. With these three teachers the students will come up with an idea, create the invention, create a marketing plan and possibly work to patent the idea.

“This is 21st century learning with the four Cs of learning: creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication,” said Zelich. “It is very exciting. This program is designed not for the top of the class but for the median students. It helps them express themselves in a hands-on approach to learning.

If it is successful, the school district plans to continue the program past the initial two years.