The Bottle Buddy

Fifth grade students in Oley Valley School District completed a science unit on the engineering design process. In addition to learning and understanding the steps of the design process, they also were challenged to think of a problem they have at home or at school and how they could solve that problem.

One pair of students, Leah Delmonico and Riley Fegley, quickly thought of a big problem in all of their classes – water bottles falling off desks or getting kicked on the ground. In the last few years, with the elimination of water fountains in the school, more and more students have been bringing in their own water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the day. Leah and Riley wanted to come up with something that could securely hold a water bottle without taking up space on top of a desk. This is how The Bottle Buddy came to fruition.

The Bottle Buddy attaches to the side or front of a desk using magnets. Students can place their bottle inside The Bottle Buddy and stop worrying about their bottle getting knocked over or kicked. In addition to holding a water bottle there is a small compartment to keep a few pencils, stylus, pens, highlighters, etc.

Their teacher Ms. Gardecki was so impressed with their idea and design that she approached Leah and Riley about learning the program TinkerCAD so they could 3D print their prototype. The girls eagerly agreed. They then worked with Ms. Gardecki to film an elevator pitch and enter The Bottle Buddy into the Pennsylvania Invention Convention. The Bottle Buddy was chosen as a finalist, so Leah and Riley traveled to Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in the Poconos on February 15 to compete against other students from across the state in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade.

Leah and Riley did a wonderful job and took home the award for Best Prototype!