CJ Gingerish, 7, a second-grader, browses the inventions at the Invention Convention at High Lakes Elementary School in Bend on Thursday afternoon. More than 200 students participated in the annual event, which challenges them to solve problems in everyday life.

Do you ever wonder what to do with the water leftover from yesterday’s rain?

Why not make it into drinking water?

That’s what Cole Fuller, 7, suggested to do with his Water Saver Machine.

Cole created the prototype, which uses pumps to filter rain into fresh drinking water.

Cole’s device and 210 others were part of Bend’s High Lakes Elementary School’s Invention Convention this week. More than 200 students participated in the annual event, which challenges them to solve problems in everyday life. The event also allows them to come up with their own logos and marketing strategies.

”It gives the kids the opportunity to improve their world by being creative problem-solvers,” said fourth-grade teacher Karen Schlaich.

Megan Mitchell, 9, used her experience of living in California when she thought of her product, the Pollution Solution. She became more aware of the harmful effects smog has on the environment and on people’s health.

”Smoke is very harmful when it gets into people’s lungs,” Megan said. ”Everyone would stay alive and be healthy if there were no pollution.”

The product is placed on top of a chimney to filter out smoke. Megan created her own homemade video commercial as part of her marketing strategy.

Eli Abraham, 9, was tired of wrapping paper littering his floor after birthday parties and on Christmas. So he thought of reusable cloth wrapping paper as his invention, Its A Wrap.

After major holidays, theres too much wrapping paper in the trash, he said. More trees get cut down and theres less oxygen available for the environment.

Elis display contained several sample fabrics ranging from bright orange to some with polka dots.

The display that caught most peoples attention was the Dog Door Bell by 10-year-old Troy LaLonde.

The Dog Door Bell is a mat that sets off a ring whenever your pet wants to step inside the door. A dog as light as a Chihuahua to as heavy as a Great Dane can sound off the doorbell installed inside the mat by stepping on it.

Thats cool, one student said when he saw the display.

It actually works, said another after pressing his hand down on the fuzzy mat.

Members of the Greater Bend Rotary judged the inventions on Thursday. They picked the top 12 displays based on creativity, uniqueness and awareness of the environment. The top award is the Dayle Whitworth Memorial Award for excellence, which is based on faculty votes.

John Audia, a member of the Rotary, was one of the judges. He said he was impressed with the amount of entries.

It was the biggest year yet, he said of the 211 displays. That was a huge number for one school. It was pretty amazing.

Audia said it was difficult for the members to pick just 12 inventions. But he noted a few that stood out.

We really liked the Water Saver Machine, Audia said. It really encompassed what the Invention Convention is about. Its a huge benefit to the environment to reuse water and the student also put a lot of thought and time into it.

Audia said he also enjoyed the Dog Door Bell because of its usability.

I think Ill buy it.

The 12 students will attend a luncheon at The Riverhouse on Tuesday, where the winners of each category will be announced. The winners will also present their inventions and receive a certificate of achievement and a T-shirt.

Kimberlina Rocha can be reached at 541-382-1811, ext. 811, or at krocha@bendbulletin.com.