Cassie Sadoff, a fifth-grader at Birch Lane School in Massapequa Park, was recently named a second-place regional winner in the 2005 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program. About 8,500 students from across the country entered the competition, which annually invites children in grades two through eight to invent a new tool or re-think an existing one.

Cassie was inspired to create her invention, a lever with a wood base and "lacrosse shaft" for lifting heavy objects, by her mother who complained how her back and neck hurt from lifting the couch to vacuum under it. Now, thanks to Cassie's invention, the "Up, Up and Away," her mother is pain free and Cassie is the winner of a $500 U.S. savings bond.

In its ninth year in classrooms in the U.S., the Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program is among the largest invention competitions in the world. The program is sponsored by Sears through its Craftsman tools brand and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Cassie's inspiration to invent came from her teacher, Mr. Mulcahy. "He always says we should put more 'oomph' into our projects, so they are better and more interesting." When she found out she had won the contest, Cassie said she was thrilled. "I was surprised, but I knew I worked hard and that putting effort into the project would be a plus. I am so happy I won!"

"The Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program offers students and teachers a wonderful opportunity to engage in practical, creative experiments and apply key scientific principles," said Gerry Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association. "Our program is very popular because it gives students from schools of every size--from home schools, to parochial and public schools--a chance to be honored for their innovative ideas." Cassie's teacher has his students participate in the contest every year.

When she grows up, Cassie said she would like to be either a teacher or inventor. "I want to be a teacher because I love writing and math. I want to be an inventor because I think it would be cool to bring new things into the world."