Staff Writer

CHERRY VALLEY—Last year, fourth graders at Cherry-Valley Springfield Central School were given an assignment: invent something that will make life easier.

And one of the young inventors has won the national grand prize in her grade level.

Anna Kieler's "Pop It Out Exacto Brush" is the result of a sudden flash of inspiration. When Kieler saw her mother frequently changing brushes as she painted the kitchen, it dawned on her to create a big brush with a smaller one tucked inside. A groove carved in the handle allows the smaller brush to slide in and out.

Janet Williammee was Kieler's teacher at the time. Williammee is an award-winning instructor, and attended the prestigious American Memory Fellows conference at the Library of Congress this summer. All three fourth grade classes at CV-S participated in Invent America, which, according to its website, is a non-profit, teacher-created program that helps kids learn by inventing.

Launched in 1987, Invent America is aimed at helping students master skills that will assist them in today's rapidly changing work environment. By utilizing the scientific method, students learn to "invent by observing, collecting data, organizing, generalizing, predicting, revising and applying laws and theories."

Which is just what Kieler did. During the months-long process of inventing the Pop It Out Exacto Brush, she kept detailed journals of her progress and thoughts.

"Part of the reason why she did so well is because she recorded even her most transitional thoughts," said mother Roberta O'Neill-Kieler.

Kieler's journals is filled with diagrams of the brush as it evolved. All of the fourth graders were responsible for keeping journals, and when their inventions were complete they were put on display for students, parents and faculty. Because the contest calls for one submission from each registered school, the teachers were faced with the difficult decision of choosing three finalists.

Inventions included a mailbox with a pulley system so it could be pulled to the front door, a boot and glove dryer that could be placed on a radiator, a skateboard with lights, and a "magic window washer."

"It was incredibly wonderful to see all of their ideas. They all put a lot of work into this," Williammee said.

Once the finalists were chosen, the faculty selected Kieler as the school representative. Photographs of her invention and journal were submitted to Invent America, and Kieler was just as surprised as everyone else when the announcement was made at an early assembly on Wednesday morning.

"I never expected this to happen," said Kieler, who will receive a $1000 US Savings Bond as the top prize.

Invent America's website, www.inventamerica.org, states that past contest judges have included Nobel laureate Gertrude Elion, Motorola CEO Robert Galvin, and Marilyn vos Savant, a writer who is also reportedly the woman with the highest IQ.

Past winners of the contest have had their inventions displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. They've been guests of Congress, have traveled to Japan, and have won recognition from the President of the United States. They've made the talk show circuit from Oprah to Good Morning America, and have been featured in publications as diverse as The New York Times and Reader's Digest.

"None of this would have been possible without Mrs. Williammee's dedication," said O'Neill-Kieler. "She's an amazing teacher."