Idaho
Imaginations flourish at Invent Idaho regionals
COEUR d’ALENE — Nearly 160 students from across North Idaho showed and told about their inventions, creations, gadgets and gizmos at the North Idaho Regional Invent Idaho competition, which was Jan. 19-21 at the Silver Lake Mall.
Invent Idaho regional coordinator Rachel Schwam, whose own daughters are Invent Idaho alumni, said the event was a huge success.
“I am incredibly proud and inspired to see the creativity, uniqueness and inspiration behind these student inventors and believe the future is looking bright,” Schwam said Friday.
Launched in 1989, Invent Idaho is an annual event that invites students in grades one through eight to innovate new products, games, tools and other projects that could help solve some kind of problem. The categories are: Working models, which includes inventions that actually work; non-working models, for inventions that are too large, expensive or technical to build — blueprints and models are required; gadgets and games, including novel devices or toys that entertain or educate, as well as original board, computer and other digital games and sports or athletic games; adaptations, which improves an idea that already exists; and Jules Verne, for projects that could fit into other categories but are too futuristic or fanciful to be judged against more practical inventions.
Schwam shared a big congratulations to all students who competed in the regional contest and gave a shout-out to teachers, facilitators and parents who gave guidance and direction while encouraging their students to think outside of the box.
“I am looking forward to next year and thankful for the support within the community,” Schwam said.
Students who advanced will participate March 1-2 in the Invent Idaho State Finals at the University of Idaho in Moscow with a chance to compete at the national level later this year.
Info: inventidaho.com
Here are the names of Kootenai County students who placed in the North Idaho Regional Invent Idaho:
ADAPTATIONS
• BEST OF CATEGORY: Nora Owen, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene School District, “The Perfect Fit Safety System”
Grades 1-2
• Second place: Henry Barnett, grade 1-2, Coeur d’Alene School District, “The Super Vacuum”
• Third place: Daisy Johnson, grade 2, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Pillow Blower”
Grades 3-4
• First place: Lilly Haug, grade 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Pot Stir”
• Second place: Grayson Mueller, grade 4, Summit Christian Academy, “Light Hanging Kit 2,000”
Grades 5-6
• First place: Brooklyn Caywood, grade 6, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “CP Lighter”
• Third place: Allison McCormick, grade 6, Lakeland Middle School, “The No Choke Seatbelt”
GADGETS AND GAMES
• BEST OF CATEGORY: Lucas Schultz, grades 7-8, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Virtual Music Teacher”
Grades 1-2
• First place: Everett Talbot, grades 1-2, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Dog Poop Cleaner”
• Second place: Ben Harding, grades 1-2, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Car Crash!”
Grades 3-4
• First place: Magnolia Kim, grades 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Bunnyland”
• Second place: Marina Myers, grades 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Forest Trails”
Grades 5-6
• Second place: Cannon Randklev, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Will You Survive?”
JULES VERNE
• BEST OF CATEGORY: Hollyn Kramer, grade 5, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Glypho-Seek”
Grades 3-4
• First place: Finn Kirkbride, grades 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Air Trip”
• Third place: Hadley Wood, grades 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Animal Paloosa”
Grades 5-6
• First place: Preston Pool, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene School District, “EDISON”
• Second place: Micah Brumbach, grade 5, Summit Christian Academy, “Cavity Cop”
• Third place: Levi Clark, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Super Mars Space Crane”
Grades 7-8
• First place: Augustus Brown, grade 7, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Starway”
NON-WORKING MODELS
BEST OF CATEGORY: Wilhelmina Kim, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene School District, “The No Spotty Potty”
Grades 1-2
• Second place: Daniel Paul, grade 2, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Back Massager Shirt”
• Third place: Eastman Alexis, grade 2, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Cart Kickstand”
Grades 3-4
• First place: Ellie Fulton and Brynn Boland, grades 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “The Jumping Jump Rope”
• Cora Mihara, grade 4, Betty Kiefer Elementary, “The Only Extraordinary Rake”
Grades 5-6
• Third place: Charlie Asper, grade 6, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Drive-Dry”
Grades 7-8
• First place: Ava Keppner, grade 7, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Safe Gear”
• Second place: Amelia Thompson, grade 7, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Snow Safe”
• Third place: Ella Cook, grade 7, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Wag Trak”
WORKING MODELS
BEST OF CATEGORY: Emily Laddy, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, “Snuggled Up”
Grades 1-2
• First place: Clarice Jensen, grade 2, John Brown Elementary, “The Apple Machine”
• Second place: Curran Oswald, grade 2, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “The Grass Cleaner”
• Third place: Josephine Willingham, grade 2, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “The Paw Perfection”
Grades 3-4
• First place: Wesleigh Haas, grades 3-4, Coeur d’Alene School District, “The Murphy Drawer”
• Second place: Maverick Sargent, grade 4, Summit Christian Academy, “Lake Safe”
• Third place: Solomon Hernandez, grade 3, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Cuecomcat”
Grades 5-6
• First place: Lily Yang, grade 6, North Idaho STEM Charter, “The Triple Mitt”
• Third place: Lauryn Romey, grades 5-6, Coeur d’Alene School District, “Snap Socks”
Grades 7-8
• First place: Nolan Vogan, grade 8, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, “Non-Dispute”
BEST OF SHOW, GRADES 5-8
• Elizabeth McCormick, grades 7-8 Lakeland Middle School, “Drink-A-Drop”
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
• Henry Barnett, grades 1-2, Coeur d’Alene School District, “The Super Vacuum”
Lucas Schultz of the Coeur d’Alene School District won best of category for seventh and eighth grades for his invention, “Virtual Music Teacher,” during the Invent Idaho North Idaho Regional competition awards ceremony Sunday at the Silver Lake Mall. Nearly 160 students participated in the three-day competition. Henry Barnett from the Coeur d’Alene School District won people’s choice in grades one and two for his invention, “The Super Vacuum,” during the North Idaho Regional Invent Idaho competition, held Jan. 19-21 at the Silver Lake Mall.
The Idaho State Police say that Robert Giesick, 40, from Billings is the man missing in a crash on State Highway 55 near Cascade, about 80 miles north of Boise.
A pick-up truck driven by Giesick ended up in the Payette River after a head-on crash with another pick-up truck.
Watch Idaho crash story here:
Idaho state troopers identify Billings man missing in traffic accident
“I was able to find some people that saw a male, an adult man, swimming for the shore from the truck,” said Idaho State Trooper Richard Knapp, who attempted to rescue Giesick. “Unfortunately he didn’t make it. He got swept downriver. Witnesses lost sight of him, and that was the last time anybody saw him.”
Knapp says search crews looked extensively for the 40-year-old, but after 24 hours, it became a recovery effort for the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit.
After that on Monday came the monumental task of removing the pickup truck from the raging water.
“It was an intensive a recovery, honestly, our operators were tested, their knowledge was tested,” said Mark Boisvert, Code Red Towing owner. “They said it was a very extreme recovery for them, more than usual.”
Idaho business owners have less than a month to decide how to comply with a new state law criminally banning trans people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
The law is set to take effect July 1, which would make it a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for subsequent offenses within five years.
It’s currently being challenged in federal court by the ACLU of Idaho.
On Tuesday, a panel sponsored by Idaho Employment Lawyers encouraged companies to prepare now as if the law will remain in effect as litigation continues.
Cody Earl, a lawyer for St. Luke’s Health System who spoke on the panel in his personal capacity, said there are several paths businesses can take.
Converting all bathrooms into single-use, gender-neutral facilities is one option, though it could be costly for larger businesses. Earl said companies could take other steps to make the transition more affordable.
“Even if it is a gender-specific restroom, [adding signage] that indicates where the closest gender-neutral restroom is so you could at least show that you’re giving employees an option or a choice,” he said.
Simply adding locks and only allowing one person at a time to a multi-stall bathroom is another choice, though panelists said that could be problematic for businesses with large amounts of customers, like restaurants and bars.
Idaho Employment Lawyers owner Pam Howland said companies also need to consider how this will affect their staff.
“This could definitely create some culture issues,” said Howland. “Do you have the policies you need to ensure your expectations as an employer of respect and civility are being followed? Possibly code of conduct provisions related to that? How about privacy?”
Those policies could include limiting or outright banning recording at the workplace.
Another legal wrinkle to complying with the law, the panel said, is that precedent in both the U.S. Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibit discrimination based on someone’s gender identity.
Gender dysphoria, a mental health designation that causes severe distress to someone when their sex doesn’t align with their gender identity, has been considered a protected condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act in certain cases.
Republican state lawmakers argued earlier this year that Idaho needs to take this first-in-the-nation step to protect women and girls when they use the restroom in private businesses.
A 2025 study out of UCLA hasn’t found any increased risk to safety by allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligning with their gender identity.
A federal court in Boise will hear arguments over whether to approve or reject a preliminary injunction on June 5.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
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