Name: Julie McNamara, Teacher 

Location: Palos East Elementary School

I teach a gifted and talented pull-out program for students in grades 1–5 at Palos East Elementary in Palos Heights, Illinois. I've taught ALPS (Accelerated Learning Program for Students) since 2011 in which I enrich the accelerated curriculum by incorporating STEAM-based learning.

The summer before I moved into the ALPS role, I was doing some online research looking for competitions for this new group of students. I discovered the Young Inventor Challenge (YIC) and immediately recognized its potential to inspire my students. I developed a unit on inventions and game design incorporating the engineering design process for my fourth graders, and our district (Palos 118) entered the competition for the first time that school year. The excitement it generated has fueled our participation every year since.

The results have been incredible! Our students have consistently placed in various categories, and a few have even had their games produced and sold in stores. Notably, Olivia and Brynna’s Ship of Treasures and Tiggy’s Draw into Crime became real products—a dream come true for these young inventors.

The YIC has become a cornerstone of the ALPS program, helping students develop essential life skills like time management, collaboration, creative and critical thinking, and public speaking.