While classmates were relaxing during their summer vacation, Green Bank Elementary-Middle School fourth grader Jacob Barkley took a week off to attend the National Young Scholars Program in Washington, D.C.

The week-long camp was designed for students to experience an interactive, hands-on learning environment in a specific field. The classes were CSI (Crime Scene Investigation), Engineering Design, Medicine and NYSP Explorers.
Barkley chose the engineering program, in which he learned how to design a toy car.

“It’s for kids where big storms come in and they don’t have any toys,” Barkley said. “We made independent cars and a group car. We got to keep our independent car.”

While building the car, Barkley learned the ins and outs of designing a fast and stable car out of every day materials like cardboard, paper, string, paper clips and wood.

“Our car had to have a lever on it and then we attached a string to the lever,” he said. “We used pennies as weight. If you had too much weight on the chassis, it flipped. If it flipped, we would take some weight off the chassis. After 10 or 11 times, we got it.”

Once the students finished their cars, they tested them on a race track and had a friendly race. The group cars were sent to the I.M. Green program to develop for children in need.

“We sent them back and they’re going to use the design and make it stronger,” Barkley said.

Barkley was nominated for the program by his third grade teacher Elaine Sheets.

For more information on NYSP, visit www.nationalyoungscholars.org