Platte City Students Design Comfort for KC Pet Project Residents

Kansas City, MO – July 23, 2026 – What happens when you take 125 middle school students, mix in a heavy dose of real-world business challenges, and add a passion for helping animals? You get an unforgettable four weeks of summer school innovation.

From June 1st through June 26th, sixth through eighth graders stepped out of the traditional classroom mindset and into the shoes of professional product designers. Their mission? Partner with KC Pet Project, Kansas City’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal shelter, to design functional, physically viable products that improve the daily lives of shelter animals while they wait for their forever homes.

For Bradley Brown and the team at Platte City Middle School and Platte Purchase Middle School, the goal of this summer school challenge was to give students a completely different lens on education by attaching it to a real-world opportunity. With KC Pet Project caring for more than 16,000 animals annually across 14 metro adoption locations, the students knew they were tackling a legitimate, pressing community need.

The Spark: A Powerful Week

To truly understand their clients, the students kicked off the first week of summer school with a powerful site visit to KC Pet Project. “Seeing the facility firsthand was eye-opening, and the students developed an immediate empathy for the animals. This visit completely ignited the creation of their projects,” Bradley noted. 

During the tour, they quickly learned that while KC Pet Project’s standard enclosures are clean, safe, and professional, they are ultimately designed for containment rather than engagement. 

For cats and small animals (like rabbits and guinea pigs), prolonged stays in a clinical environment can lead to stress, boredom, or withdrawal – which directly impacts how they behave when meeting potential adopters. Photos courtesy of KC Pet Project

Students were asked to focus their creativity on two specific categories:

• Cats: Creatures drawn to verticality, changing shapes, and spaces they can disappear into on their own terms.

• Small Animals: Rabbits and guinea pigs that instinctively need to explore, climb, and claim territory rather than sit on a flat surface.

The design constraints were strict. The final products had to fit inside standard shelter enclosures (no full kennel redesigns allowed) and focus on one of three key elements: Play, Hide, or Comfort.

Real-World Constraints & "Shark Tank" Deliverables

This wasn't just an abstract project. Students had to think like real entrepreneurs. Concepts had to be safe for unsupervised animal use (no swallowable parts or sharp edges), easily sanitized, and commercially viable. As the judges reminded everyone, “A $10,000 solution to a $10 problem won’t win.”

The semester wrapped in a high-stakes, "Shark Tank" style pitch day. 

Students had to stand up and pitch their ideas in person, not just in front of their peers and school district employees, but directly to a panel of experts that included Tom Gray and representatives from KC Pet Project.

Every team had to present a comprehensive package including:

1. A Physical Prototype: A "looks-like, feels-like" 3D mockup made from materials like cardboard, foam, or paperboard.

2. A 60-Second Marketing Video: A commercial pitch highlighting the problem, their solution, and its value.

3. A Sell Sheet: A one-page product overview detailing features, a user story, and visuals.

4. The Live Pitch: A 1-minute video intro followed by a live presentation and Q&A with the judges.

"The KC Pet Project team was thrilled to see the care and innovation each student brought to their prototype project. We immediately noticed how students designed their projects to solve problems they learned, both during their kickoff tour of KC Pet Project and through their own animal sheltering research! Not only did each team bring clear and intentional solutions to their pitches, but they were able to show their unique spirit (and humor!) as well. We were totally impressed and thankful to see so many young and creative minds dedicated all at once to the animals in our care." Payton Docheff, Chief Development Officer.

And the Winner Is...

After a rigorous round of pitches, tough questions from the judging panel, and a careful evaluation of cost, simplicity, and market fit, the top designs walked away with hard-earned bragging rights and gift cards to celebrate their success!

First Place Team

Second Place Team

Tied for 3rd Place

The impact of this challenge will stick with these Platte County Pirates students long after the summer ends. Thank you to KC Pet Project for investing their time in our youth, and a huge shoutout to all 125 students who spent their June working tirelessly to make the shelter experience just a little more like home.