Students give their ideas for making Ephrata better

EPHRATA — Jaxson Plaisted’s solution really did solve the problem of what to do if you want ice cream while you’re at work. And, as Jaxson pointed out, it solved the problem of what to do if you want some ice cream but can’t leave the house, or live outside of town.

Jaxson proposed a mobile ice cream delivery service, accessible through an app on the phone. Hey, problem solved.

Solving problems was the goal of presentations by fifth- and sixth-graders in the highly capable program at Ephrata’s Parkway School on Tuesday afternoon. The presentation was part of the challenge – the students had to be ready to explain their proposals to people who stopped by their displays, set up in the school’s cafeteria. The students also showed what they had learned in the music portion of the highly capable class.

Kids “researched things that can make Ephrata better,” said instructor Deb Knox. They started by identifying something they thought should be improved, and then explained how they would improve it. The program includes 30 fifth-graders and 30 sixth-graders, Knox said.

Some, like Jaxson, had ideas for a new business. Others looked around their neighborhoods for ideas – Hunter Mansford lives close to Patrick Park, and came up with some ideas for improvements, including a picnic shelter and more playground equipment.

Domonic Calderon considered how Ephrata fit into a worldwide problem, and suggested a business to rent electric scooters so people could get around town without driving cars. After the business had generated enough money, the owner could buy an electric bus to transport people, he said. Domonic also suggested a role for portable solar panels, supplementing the residential and business electricity supply.

Some kids teamed up to write a proposal. Payton Roberts, Lucchese Reilly and Reese Prescott love horses. “I love to ride. I have a horse named Cooper and he and I have been through many adventures,” Payton said. But “there are many, many girls and parents who would really love to ride in winter,” she said, and finding a good place to ride is tough. The three girls proposed stables with indoor-outdoor arenas.

The students were evaluated on presentation (oral and written) as well as their research, so the three girls wore their riding clothes and cowboy hats. Kate Maedke and Sofia Fernandez relied on Sofia’s dog Pixie to help attract attention. The girls wanted to help animals. “We realize not all animals in shelters get to come out and live their whole lives,” Kate said. To fix that, they proposed a long-term shelter, which would also offer short-term boarding.

The highly capable program also includes music lessons, and music teacher Barbara Hartman led the students in performances on xylophones and plastic buckets that stood in for drums.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].