SJCS 6th-Grader Leads Visits by Inventors

“If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.” – William Kamkeamba

SJCS Sixth Grade Academy students in Mrs. Connelly’s English class recently completed the biography The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkeamba. They learned what perseverance and hard work can accomplish. They also discovered many fascinating facts about a very different culture and way of life in faraway Malawi, Africa.

On Tuesday, May 18, Mrs. Connelly invited three speakers to talk to her classes about inventions they imagined and created.

• Emme Brasington, a Sixth Grade Academy student at St. Joe’s, invented a unique travel pillow called the Versillo (for versatile pillow). Emme explained to her peers how the idea came to her (she was 9 at the time) and the process she went through to eventually land her product on the market. For more information, click HERE for the Versillo website.
• Sean La Rochelle, who’s completing a master’s degree in architecture at Clemson University, designed and built a full scale roller coaster in his backyard in Napa, California, during the pandemic. Click HERE for newspaper and TV features on the roller coaster. This summer he is designing another one. Sean’s wife, Emily LaRochelle (nee Norton) is a 2012 SJCS graduate. Sean presented virtually to the classes.
• Brandi Long, Principal Chemist at Alexium International in Greer (they produce fire retardant fabric and cool touch textiles), recently won $15,000 in the NBA Charlotte Hornets’ entrepreneur contest for her Jurse (combining jacket with purse) invention. Brandi was featured on WYFF-Channel 4 (click HERE to watch). For more information, including a video showing how the Jurse works, click HERE.

In the video below, SJCS 6th-Grader Emme Brasington explains to her peers the uses for her creation, Versillo, as well as the idea behind its logo.

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