2005 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program Honors Two Top Winners and 10 National Finalists

The 2005 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program has selected two winners of the nationwide science competition, which invited children in second grade through eighth grade to invent a new tool or re-think an existing one. For the past nine years, the program has been sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Sears, through its Craftsman® tools brand.

Ryan Jordan, a national winner in the second-through-fifth-grade category, was in fifth grade at Corbett Elementary School in Tucson, Ariz., when he created "Extract-a-Nail" -- a W-shaped tool with a center that hooks on a nail and two sides that push together to pull it out smoothly. Christopher Whetzel, a national winner in the sixth-through-eighth-grade category, was in sixth grade at Marsteller Middle School in Bristow, Va., when he created "Over the Edge Wheelchair Lift," a pulley system "to help my mom up when she leans over the side of her wheelchair."

Each of the two national winners has won a top prize of a $10,000 U.S. savings bond. In addition, 10 national finalists each have won a $5,000 U.S. savings bond. These top 12 students also have won a trip to Chicago for themselves, their parents and their teachers to the national awards ceremony at the Museum of Science and Industry on Mon., September 26.

"The children who entered the 2005 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program accepted our challenge to create a simple machine -- a muscle-powered device, with no batteries or electricity. The students examined the world around them and created innovative tools to accomplish tasks easier, better or faster," said Michael Padilla, president of the National Science Teachers Association, which has more than 55,000 members. "This has been a wonderful educational project for science teachers and students."

The 10 national finalists (winners of a $5,000 U. S. savings bond) include:

  In the second-through-fifth-grade category:
   -- Lindsey Kenyon, fourth grade, Dodge Elementary School, East Amherst,
      N.Y. -- "E-Z Grout Cleaner"
      A long-handled tool that holds brushes set eight inches apart, to
      clean floor-tile grout.

   -- Rachael Barbush, fourth grade, St. Theresa School, New Cumberland, Pa.
      -- "A Scooter Kickstand"
      A U-shaped lever under a scooter kicks down to lift up the front of
      the scooter, so it stands by itself.

   -- Robert Maloney, fifth grade, Woodward Academy, College Park, Ga. --
      "Handy-Lift"
      "A hand-powered forklift" to move heavy items in and out of the car,
      truck or minivan.

   -- Olivia Conrad, fourth grade, Adams Elementary School, Hamilton,
      Ohio -- "Foot Elevator"
      A tool that works "like a kickstand for a medical boot," raising and
      relieving pressure on an injured person's leg.

   -- William Helms, fifth grade, Ruth Doyle Intermediate School, Conway,
      Ark. -- "Chicken Feeder"
      A pulley system helps a person with arthritis feed chickens without
      lifting a heavy bag.


  In the sixth-through-eighth-grade category:
   -- Stefanie Stallone, seventh grade, St. Clare School, Staten Island,
      N.Y. -- "Doggie Water Walker"
      A treadmill that fits in the bathtub, to help a dog gently exercise
      after an injury.

   -- Chelsea Townsend, seventh grade, Crystal Lake Middle School, Pompano
      Beach, Fla. -- "Surf Rider"
      A wheeled cart that holds the tail of a surfboard, so a child can pull
      rather than carry it.

   -- Tylan Stone, eighth grade, The Edge Academy, Akron, Ohio -- "Dew Rake"
      A swimming "noodle" on a handle to pull through morning dew, "to knock
      the moisture down" and save water.

   -- Olivia Wiese, seventh grade, Newman Grove Public School, Newman Grove,
      Neb. -- "Helping 'Hand' L"
      A "portable handle" for a car-door frame to help older or disabled
      people get in or out.

   -- Kirstie James, sixth grade, Hyde Park Middle School, Las Vegas,
      Nev. -- "Curved Sander"
      A sander that automatically adjusts to the shape of a sculpture as the
      sculptor "moves it up and down."

Information about the program is available at NSTA's Web site, http://www.nsta.org/programs/craftsman ; also, by writing to Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards, c/o National Science Teachers Association, 1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000; calling toll-free 1-888-494-4994; or e- mailing younginventors@nsta.org.

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's third largest broadline retailer, with approximately $55 billion in annual revenues, and with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has Martha Stewart Everyday products, which are offered exclusively in the U.S. by Kmart and in Canada by Sears Canada. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 14 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at http://www.searsholdings.com/ .

SOURCE: Sears Holdings Corporation

CONTACT: Carol Simantz for Sears Holdings Corporation, +1-847-692-6311,
catalystmarketing@attglobal.net

Web site: http://www.searsholdings.com/
http://www.nsta.org/programs/craftsman