The vast majority of all school students are working hard, regardless of every negative story the press pedals. Yes, there are dropouts. Yes, there are crimes and disrespect…but there is a sea of great minds and dedication in those schools we all hear too little about, unless we read the school newspapers or have kids in their classrooms. These kids also move on to our local colleges and universities. Their positive exploits there are also often masked by news stories of protests and dissent, not the heartwarming efforts of discovery and public service they carried over from lessons learned in public schools.
The following three recent stories are of particular value in emphasizing how terrific our kids really are…and just a sampling of the powerful victories they bring to other people’s lives each day. And note that these stories are from across the country. That’s a clear indication these aren’t just pockets of brilliance—they exist right next door to all of us.
Invention: A Tiny Wheelchair for a Toddler Suffering from Spina Bifida
The first story is about high school students from an engineering class in the St. Louis area who built a unique, tiny wheelchair for a toddler suffering from spina bifida. If you are not familiar with that disorder, it is simple to say it is tragic for the young who have little to no mobility, and whose lives are often cut short because of the complications of the damage to their spines. Thousands of newborns in the U.S. suffer from this deformity each year.
These young students and their teacher went out of their way to immediately solve a problem to enrich the life of one young child that otherwise had to crawl on her belly to move about, since no wheelchair is made for infants with spina bifida. What can anyone say to thank the effort and inventive genius of these young engineers who came forward to make a life more bearable? To top that, they raised the money for the materials to build this tiny wheelchair. That should give us all hope that the generation coming up brings a wealth of capacity to improve our world.
http://www.kmov.com/clip/12845186/local-high-school-students-build-wheelchair-for-toddler-with-spina-biffida
The first story is about high school students from an engineering class in the St. Louis area who built a unique, tiny wheelchair for a toddler suffering from spina bifida. If you are not familiar with that disorder, it is simple to say it is tragic for the young who have little to no mobility, and whose lives are often cut short because of the complications of the damage to their spines. Thousands of newborns in the U.S. suffer from this deformity each year.
These young students and their teacher went out of their way to immediately solve a problem to enrich the life of one young child that otherwise had to crawl on her belly to move about, since no wheelchair is made for infants with spina bifida. What can anyone say to thank the effort and inventive genius of these young engineers who came forward to make a life more bearable? To top that, they raised the money for the materials to build this tiny wheelchair. That should give us all hope that the generation coming up brings a wealth of capacity to improve our world.
http://www.kmov.com/clip/12845186/local-high-school-students-build-wheelchair-for-toddler-with-spina-biffida
Invention: A Small, Lightweight, Motorized Wheelchair for Two Brothers
Suffering from a Genetic Disorder, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
A second example comes from across the country at Utah’s Brigham Young University. Here five undergraduate mechanical engineering students produced a small, lightweight, motorized wheelchair for two tiny brothers suffering from a genetic disorder, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The amazing invention was also produced for under $400, easily a tenth of the cost of expensive models which are made for larger children or adults. Again, the lives of these needy children were enhanced through generous efforts of our young generations. And their efforts have ongoing benefits. Now, using their model as an open-source device, anyone can order the parts online and construct this wheelchair themselves, saving huge costs. It could be constructed easily even in the most destitute parts of the globe.
https://news.byu.edu/news/byu-students-make-worlds-lightest-least-expensive-motorized-wheelchair
Suffering from a Genetic Disorder, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
A second example comes from across the country at Utah’s Brigham Young University. Here five undergraduate mechanical engineering students produced a small, lightweight, motorized wheelchair for two tiny brothers suffering from a genetic disorder, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). The amazing invention was also produced for under $400, easily a tenth of the cost of expensive models which are made for larger children or adults. Again, the lives of these needy children were enhanced through generous efforts of our young generations. And their efforts have ongoing benefits. Now, using their model as an open-source device, anyone can order the parts online and construct this wheelchair themselves, saving huge costs. It could be constructed easily even in the most destitute parts of the globe.
https://news.byu.edu/news/byu-students-make-worlds-lightest-least-expensive-motorized-wheelchair
Invention: Helping A Wheelchair Bond Paraplegic Mother Move Her Infant
Finally, here is another high school student, this time from Detroit, who addressed a problem for people with mobility limitations—this time wheelchair bound mothers who needed a way to move their infants with them while in a chair. His brilliant application of engineering design, at low cost, and easy use, is breathtaking. His design helped a real paraplegic mother with an immediate need.
Now his portable stroller solution needs to be launched. Surely, someone who has seen this product will support his efforts and help promote his creation. Like the other two products, these are all applications with worldwide implications to improve the quality of life for many after young minds applied themselves to challenges others had left wanting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ8uZT6LyS8
Finally, here is another high school student, this time from Detroit, who addressed a problem for people with mobility limitations—this time wheelchair bound mothers who needed a way to move their infants with them while in a chair. His brilliant application of engineering design, at low cost, and easy use, is breathtaking. His design helped a real paraplegic mother with an immediate need.
Now his portable stroller solution needs to be launched. Surely, someone who has seen this product will support his efforts and help promote his creation. Like the other two products, these are all applications with worldwide implications to improve the quality of life for many after young minds applied themselves to challenges others had left wanting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ8uZT6LyS8
These are only three examples of solutions being designed and applied by young students throughout the United States. We can all promote a safer learning environment for students with disabilities if we share these new discoveries in our communities. Who knows, we might just find other amazing inventions and breakthroughs in our own local schools, for there are many young brilliant minds about us if we only take time to look closely.
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