Haine Middle School fifth-graders set up prototypes of their proposed products during their CIRC Tank presentation in the school's Creativity, Innovation and Research Center. Teams of students spend between two and three weeks working on their projects, which include a TV commercial, sketches, prototypes and, ultimately, the presentation in front of fellow students, teachers, parents and judges.

CRANBERRY TWP — Eyes are wide, hearts are pounding and palms are sweaty. Public speaking is nerve-racking, whether it's your first time or your hundredth.

For many of the fifth-grade students at Thursday's CIRC (Creativity, Innovation and Research Center) Tank presentation at Haine Middle School, 1516 Haine School Road, it's one of their first times, and the anxieties show.

Ronelle Rowe, CIRC technology facilitator, said the students spend between two and three weeks working on their projects, which include a TV commercial, sketches, prototypes, the presentation and answering questions the judges have at the end of it all.

Projects varied from specialized sofas to mechanisms to pull Pringles out of a can without dirtying your hand to a fashionable hat that changes colors using geothermal paint and more.

Although this was only the second year for Haine's CIRC Tank, Fogle said the program's success is an ongoing highlight of the specialized learning center. He added many improvements have been made since last year, and it seems like the project will continue expanding in the coming years.

This is an excerpt — pick up Sunday's Butler Eagle or subscribe online to read more about some of the event and the inventions the students created.