CLEVELAND — For a bookworm like Hiatt Hernon, there’s nothing worse than missing your favorite novel or comic.

“I let my friend borrow a book once and I got it back late,” the 11-year-old said. “I thought that if he had a timer beeping, he would have remembered to give it back.”

JASON MILLER/CHRONICLE

Amelia Rivas, 12, of Lowell Elementary, shows off her “Leaf Grabber,” which she was inspired to create by watching her grandfather do autumn yardwork.

That idea stuck in Hiatt’s mind. When teachers in the gifted program at Irving Elementary School in Lorain told him to start thinking about inventions, he dreamed up the “Extended Time Cover.”

With some help from his mother, he fitted a stretchable Lycra book cover with a kitchen timer. A few taps of the buttons can set the device to beep the day before the book needs to be returned to its owner.

Judges at the Invention Convention held Saturday at the Great Lakes Science Center were swept away by the creation and awarded Hiatt with a $500 college scholarship.

At this pace, he’s giving Thomas Edison a real run for his money. Last year, Hernon took first place among all third graders with his “Double Thermo Straw” — two drinking straws mounted with a thermometer “so you don’t have to burn your tongue on hot chocolate,” he said.
But he’s not the only one with the invention bug.

The Invention Convention, which came to Cleveland for the first time last year, drew hundreds of kids from more than 250 school districts in Lorain, Cuyahoga and Medina counties. Sponsors gave away $8,000 to the best entries.

Four Lorain students won $50 savings bonds Saturday in Cleveland: Brianna Overton, Kathrine Britvec, Gabrielle Vanca and Ilianna Velez. There were winners from the Sheffield-Sheffield Lake schools, too, but event organizers didn’t have their names available late Saturday.

The competition is all about learning how to solve problems, said Dianne Mittler, who heads the Lorain school district’s gifted program.

“They’re learning the process of scientific investigation,” she said. “They’re learning that if something doesn’t work, you try again and again. A lot of modern things — like Edison’s light bulb — weren’t invented in just one try.”

Sometimes the inventions are simple. Sometimes they’re awfully complicated. But Mittler said all of them are inspired.

Amelia Rivas, 12, of Lowell Elementary, said the idea for her “Leaf Grabber” popped into her head when she was thinking about ways to save work for her grandfather, Harold Boone.

“He always rakes the leaves,” she said. “I thought this way might be easier.”

Her invention is made from a garbage bag cut flat and lined with sticky paper — like flypaper for leaves. Rivas said she pictures a version of the “Leaf Grabber” big enough to cover the entire yard — just throw it on the lawn and say goodbye to raking forever.

Pierce Morgan, 9, of Lakeview Academy, was thinking about a former teacher when he invented the “Reach N Erase.”

Last year, Pierce was in Kimberly Clay’s third-grade class and remembers that she had an awful time reaching up to erase the top of her chalkboard.

His solution: Fit a long, wooden handle with a magnetic strip that can grip four erasers or sponges. That way, even a 4-foot-tall student can erase the entire board with ease.

“This is one of those inventions that I wish I had in my classroom,” Mittler said.

Olivia Williams and Mariah Davies, 11, of Lakeview Academy, worked fashion into the equation with their invention of the “Pack-It Jacket.”

Starting with an ordinary trench coat, they lined the inside with pockets specially shaped to hold a checkbook, wallet, keys, calculator, lip gloss and credit cards. Their idea was sparked by teacher Terri Bristor, who has a whole closet of coats and matching purses.

“We decided to make her one coat that wouldn’t need all different purses,” Mariah said. “This is better than carrying around a purse.”

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

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