Kaydence Chambers, a 4th grader at Essex Elementary School (EES) saw a problem and solved it with an innovative invention she calls A Girl’s Best Friend. She’s now off to showcase that invention at the national level Invention Convention in Michigan this week.

The invention, which sprang forth from Chambers’s busy, on-the-go life after school, traveling from cheerleading practice to dance practice, is an on-the-go hair brush cleverly equipped with an attached container for all the necessities, e.g. hair ties, bobby pins, ChapStick, and Band Aids, etc.

“I always have all my stuff in a bag and I have to dig around in there when I need something, so I came up with this invention so everything is right where I need it in one spot,” said Chambers, who has other innovations swimming around in her head.

“It has been really exciting watching her modify her invention and think about ways to make it work better,” said Chambers’s mother Candace Hardgrove. “Kaydence has worked really hard on her invention and has been excited about the Invention Convention for the whole year. I am very proud of her and this experience has really been a big confidence booster for her, especially with her public speaking, presenting her invention to the judges and having to explain it for a video submission on YouTube, for the nationals. It’s been a great experience and she is very excited to go to Michigan and compete there.”

Invention Convention is a national and state-level organization that provides free, project-based learning curriculum through its school, state, and national showcase events. According to its website inventionconvention.org, the program helps students learn to think critically by identifying problems in their world, the impact of inventions in their lives, and to apply STEM, invention, and entrepreneurial skills building real-world solutions.

“I think the Invention Convention, in general, is a great program,” Hardgrove said. “It really makes the kids challenge themselves, come up with great ideas, follow a process and look for ways to improve and modify their own ideas.”

Each year EES holds the convention, letting students in grades 4 through 6 compete against one another for the chance to make it to state finals. This year, Chambers competed against 1,200 other students from all over the state at the University of Connecticut and was chosen by judges to move on to nationals.

“I just feel very proud,” said Chambers, “I never thought that I might win. It’s been really exciting and nice to have everyone rooting for me.”

She said she would encourage other kids to participate in the Invention Convention in the future because it is fun, and it really lets participants be creative.

“We are excited that EES once again has a student heading to the National Invention Convention,” said Essex Elementary School Principal Jennifer Tousignant. “I am so proud of Kaydence and all of our young inventors who participated. The moment I saw Kaydence’s invention, I told her it is something I would like to purchase for myself. When she presented it at the Essex Board of Education meeting this past month, many of the attendees had the same exact reaction. I am not at all surprised that Kaydence was invited to compete at the National Invention Convention.”

The 2019 National Invention Convention will be held at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan from Wednesday to Friday, May 29 to 31. Chambers is attending with substantial community support. The EES Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) contributed toward the registration costs and the EES Foundation awarded the school a $1,500 Science and Technology grant to defray costs for the Chambers’s participation at the nationals.

“The EES Foundation is thrilled to be supporting a National Invention Convention attendee for the second year in a row. The foundation is so proud of all of the good work being done at our school and we look forward to supporting important programs like this in the future,” said Foundation President Bill Jacaruso.

So far, Chambers has had 11 requests for her product and she hopes it will soon be more. If she wins at Nationals, she will win a patent for her invention.