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For 8-year-old Jonah Cassady-Opper, classic science fair projects like building a baking soda volcano or turning a lemon into a battery are a little tame.
The Redwood Heights second grader used this year’s science fair to combine his love for science and his obsession with music icon Michael Jackson. Over a few weeks in April, Jonah and his mom built Jackson’s ‘anti-gravity’ shoes — the ones that allowed the superstar to achieve his signature 45-degree lean during performances and in music videos.
The King of Pop isn’t Jonah’s first muse. He was enamored with Lil Nas X for a few years, and last year, he became Prince for Halloween. Around that time, Jonah watched a Thriller-themed short film from the cast of the animated movie Sing. After that, he asked to see the real thing.
Jonah and his parents, Kristan Cassady and Nico Opper. Credit: Courtesy Cassady-Opper family
Rather than scaring him off, the zombie-themed Thriller video ignited his passion for the superstar.
“Thriller was the gateway to Michael Jackson,” his mom, Kristan Cassady, said.
When spring arrived, Jonah had watched and listened to Jackson’s catalogue hundreds of times. But one question kept popping up: How does he do the anti-gravity lean without falling?
Jonah’s parents encouraged him to consider that as his research question for the science fair. His first hypothesis was magnets, but that was debunked when he discovered Jackson’s patent online for the anti-gravity illusion, filed in 1992. Once he found that, Jonah and his mom worked to replicate them.
They did three trials to find the best shoes: First, his regular Air Jordans. Those only gave him a 13-degree lean, far from Jonah’s goal of 45 degrees. Cassady used an angle meter app that allowed her to take pictures of Jonah and measure the angle of his lean.
The second trial was with a pair of Chelsea-style boots with elastic around the ankle. With those, he was able to lean a bit further, but still not 45 degrees. “His feet kept coming out of the boot because the elastic was stretching and he would just faceplant — safely.”
Jonah landed on a pair of patent-leather lace-up boots. A professional chiropractor, Cassady said she was a little worried about the wear on his Achilles tendon from leaning forward so much.
Jonah and his mom put the project together over spring break. Credit: Courtesy Cassady-Opper family
Jonah followed the scientific method to determine which type of shoe works best. Credit: Courtesy Cassady-Opper family
Using the patent as a guide, they put together the contraption. The secret is what’s called a “hitch member.” It’s created by carving a slot in the heel that slides into place around a screw fastened to a wooden board, which anchors the shoes to the floor while the wearer leans forward.
Working on the project sparked some ideas for the second grader’s next enterprise: the moonwalk shoe.
“Is it wheels? Is it slippery butter? Is it a hitch member?” Jonah told The Oaklandside. “I haven’t solved that problem yet.”
The anti-gravity shoe project came together over Spring Break, in time for Jonah to perform at his school’s science fair in April. His presentation at the Redwood Heights science fair earned him a spot at OUSD’s district-wide STEM fair the next month.
But before they could get the project in prime shape, tragedy struck. The family car was stolen from their driveway by some not-so-smooth criminal, with Jonah’s shoes inside.
“It took a couple days for me to tell him,” Cassady said. “I got another pair, got the plates again and then we rushed to get them fixed. They were done by Monday and the science fair was Wednesday.”
Jonah wowed attendees with his creation at OUSD’s district-wide STEM fair. Credit: Courtesy Cassady-Opper family
Dressed in a pinstripe suit and matching fedora, Jonah regaled attendees at the city science fair with his Jackson impersonation. Even notoriously unflappable high schoolers were impressed with the second grader’s vision, Cassady said. If Jonah’s age-mates approached him, he offered to trade shoes with them to let them try it.
“That’s Jonah in a nutshell. He’s such a big sweetie and wants to share his joy with everybody.”
Jonah shows others how the shoes work, and invites other kids to try them on. Credit: Cassady-Opper family
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