Eighth graders at Knollwood School in Fair Haven may have had a lot to say recently when asked, “So, how did it go at school today?”

This past September, Chris Aviles, the district’s coordinator of Technology, Innovation, and 21^st Century Skills, unveiled a program that has been in the works since last year. He started a consulting firm comprised of the entire eighth grade class at Knollwood School, and is “selling” their advice to local businesses.

In its new initiative, dubbed the Eight-Week, Five-Design Challenge, the consulting firm comprised of eighth graders is partnering with a client, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, to enhance the patient experience.

Representatives from Riverview have been visiting Knollwood School to describe workplace challenges they are currently facing. The students are responsible for designing the best solutions following their proven design process — Empathize, (Re)Define, Imagine, Make, and Test.

For example, on Sept. 26, one of Aviles’s eighth grade classes met with Lisa D’Averso, outpatient laboratory supervisor at Riverview . D’Averso presented the students with a challenge being faced by the phlebotomy department, which is responsible for the drawing of patients’ blood.

“What we are finding is that our younger patients, those aged one to five years, become terrified at the sight of the needle entering their arms,” D’Averso said. “They are crying hysterically, and we are really in need of an effective ‘blind,” which means something that can block their view.”

The eighth graders took careful notes as D’Averso described her challenge more fully and answered their questions. Aviles reminded his eager students to always remember constraints and requirements when coming up with a solution.

“In this case, the constraint is that everything that touches a patient must be discarded, so something made of paper might be best” D’Averso told the students. “A requirement is that the ‘blind’ cannot hinder the blood collection process in any way.”

To demonstrate the process and the challenge more fully, D’Averso used hospital equipment to simulate the blood collection on a student volunteer.

“At the hospital, we always say that if we can make a difference for even one patient, it’s worth it,” she said. “Yet it’s also very possible that your solution could end up being reproduced and helping millions of people.”

The students will work in groups for six or seven weeks, and will then meet once again with D’Averso to present their ideas. A prototype of the decided-upon solution will be tested in actual use at the hospital.  The end goal is to create a successful prototype and have it manufactured for actual use.

All five of Aviles’s eighth grade classes have met with representatives from Riverview to get eight-week challenges with the goal of enhancing the comfort and dignity of patients.

These include: Improving on the current design of hospital-issued gowns; devising a method for providing clean clothes to all patients who need them before leaving the hospital; and making the process of curbside pickup of charts and other patient information more convenient.

In the coming months, Aviles’ eighth grade classes will also work with local businesses, including Umberto’s Restaurant and Pizza, to help maximize publicity and awareness through email campaigns and social media marketing.

— Edited press release from the Fair Haven School District