Curiosity + innovation = fun

COEUR d’ALENE — What's inside a microphone and how the heck does it work?

Exactly how does one most effectively launch, or chuck, a rubber duck?

What innovative, amazing creations will local kiddos dream up next?

At Camp Invention, the sky is the limit.

"I added this rubber band so that maybe when it stretches in the back it might work a little better and it could chuck farther too," 8-year-old Adlee Krupp said Wednesday, examining her miniature rubber duck catapult. "The duck can sit there and then it launches."

The weeklong day camp is being held at Northwest Expedition Academy, where incoming kindergartners through incoming sixth-graders are exploring hands-on activities to keep their brains and hands busy during summer break.

"I thought on the first day it was pretty cool," Adlee said. "It had lots of things and all the projects you get to take home and play with them."

Camp Invention is a national program with the goal of spreading the spirit of innovation to as many children as possible. This is the first year NExA hosted the camp. Nearly 100 kids from around the Inland Northwest are participating.

"It's really exciting because when this camp started, we were expecting like 34 kids. "We have 96 campers," NExA principal assistant and camp director Brianne Weinberger said. "I think families are excited to let the kids get out and be really creative with the work that they're doing."

Campers are experimenting and inventing at five different stations: SolarBots; Duck Chuck; Microphone Station; Road Rally; and Camp Invention Games. They're learning angles, geometry, robotics, physics, innovation and more.

Camp Invention is sponsored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

"What it is is just spurring creativity and curiosity in children and just really getting hands on and doing the work, kind of trying, experimenting, having failures and then making that change to improve on their work and their thinking in a really safe, fun environment," Weinberger said. "It just really fosters that creativity and the wonderment in the world around them. A lot of people nowadays see there might be struggles with technology, and we want our kids to not just be consumers of the world around them, but they're going to be the creators in their world."

Info: www.invent.org/programs/camp-invention

Cd'A selects Morrison as assistant elementary superintendent

By PRESS STAFF

COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d'Alene School District announced its new assistant superintendent of elementary education and instruction will be Patty Morrison, an administrator in the Lakeland School District for the past 10 years.

Morrison has served as director of federal programs in the Lakeland district since 2013. She was administrator of Lakeland Online Academy this past school year.

A hiring committee that included incoming Superintendent Shon Hocker selected Morrison from a small group of finalists. She will begin July 6.

Morrison will succeed Kate Orozco, who will leave the district at the end of June.

“We are excited about Patty’s hiring and eager for her to join our team,” Hocker said. “Her varied experience in 30 years with the Lakeland School District, from elementary teacher to instructional coach to principal and district administrator, will be a great addition to Coeur d’Alene Public Schools.”

“I'm honored to be chosen to join Coeur d’Alene Public Schools and work with the amazing people within this district,” Morrison said. “I can't wait to meet the staff, students and families and bring my service and care to this great community."

While directing all Title programs for Lakeland, Morrison also created a K-8 online school to meet the needs of families during the pandemic. She created the district’s Transitional Learning Program in 2018 to respond to the highest needs of students with behavioral difficulties across six elementary schools. From 2015 to 2018 Patty was principal at Twin Lakes Elementary. From 2011 to 2015 she was principal at Spirit Lake Elementary. In 2005 she became the district’s first instructional coach and she led a team of elementary instructional coaches from 2007 to 2011. Morrison was a Title 1 teacher from 2003 to 2009 and taught kindergarten, first and second grades from 1991 to 2003.

Morrison received her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Idaho. She is certified as a Trust Based Relational Intervention practitioner.

A lifelong North Idaho resident, Morrison lives near Coeur d’Alene with her husband of 30 years. She said she's incredibly proud of her two adult children. She enjoys traveling around the Pacific Northwest, boating on Lake Coeur d’Alene and reading a good book while her husband fishes.