MARIETTA, OHIO — Innovation and creativity were on full display as fifth-grade students from Warren Middle School (WMS) took part in a recent FlexFactor pitch competition, where teams presented solutions to real-world challenges.
The winning team—Devin Curry, Aiden White, Tyeson Brown, and Evan Williamson from Mrs. Lisa Mayle’s Personal Learning Period class—earned top honors for their project, Ele-Shu.
Ele-Shu, an electric shoe concept with the slogan “Level up your mile,” encourages physical activity by combining exercise with mobile gaming. The students addressed declining motivation to exercise by creating a shoe that tracks miles ran and rewards users with 15 minutes of access to exclusive mobile games for each mile completed. The concept also includes a centralized server system to store user progress and game data, highlighting how wearable technology and creativity can promote healthier exercise habits.
The competition was part of FlexFactor, a nationally recognized STEM outreach initiative that introduces K–12 students to advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and high-technology career pathways. Through collaborative, hands-on learning, students identify real-world problems, develop hardware-based solutions, and present their ideas during a formal pitch event judged by industry and community representatives.
Over the course of the multi-week program, WMS fifth graders actively engaged with the FlexFactor curriculum—building on their interest in STEM while strengthening skills in teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The experience was further enhanced by community guest speakers who shared insights on branding, marketing, research, technology, and public speaking, made possible through a partnership with Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C).
Washington State College of Ohio (WSCO) extends its sincere appreciation to this year’s pitch panelists, who dedicated their time to scoring the student presentations and generously contributed a donation to the winning team. The panel included Liz Strong, Owner of Strength Warehouse; Jared Wittekind, Director of the BB2C Makerspace; and Cayde Copeland, Branch Manager of the Belpre Library. In addition, Jared Voldness, Director of Engineering and Business, represented WSCO on the judging panel. Their support and engagement were instrumental in creating a meaningful, real-world experience for the students.
“I love working with local students and teachers through FlexFactor—guiding them into the world of STEM, helping them discover their strengths, and watching their ideas turn into real, meaningful projects,” said Elizabeth King, FlexFactor STEM Specialist at WSCO.
“Our 5th graders were so excited to work with Elizabeth on the FlexFactor Challenge. With support from community guest speakers, they eagerly tackled a multi-step project that pushed their creativity, teamwork, and confidence. It was amazing to watch them develop solutions and present their ideas with such enthusiasm,” said Beth Maidens, Social Studies Teacher at WMS.
Lisa Mayle, Social Studies Teacher at WMS, shared her excitement about the students’ growth, saying, “The STEM-focused FlexFactor program introduces students to advanced manufacturing, STEM careers, and entrepreneurship. Watching the students apply critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork to develop real-world solutions—and confidently prepare to pitch them to industry experts—has been an absolute highlight of our year.”
To learn more about the FlexFactor program, please contact Elizabeth King at eking1@wscc.edu or 740-885-5657.
