Students arrived with mixed opinions about spending the last weekend of summer vacation at school, but soon realized how much fun they would have.

Accelerated Weekend Experiences are offered through Northwestern Center for Talent Development. They are short, intensive, one-weekend long academic experiences that allow

students to delve deeper into single topics.

The fifth and sixth grade students participated in Materials Design and Engineering: Sports Materials and the seventh and eighth grade students participated in Design Studio: Engineering for Sustainability.

Students were engaged in hands-on activities to determine, for example, which material on a ball allows for the most bounce. Participants were also challenged with creating a tool that would use the power of water to lift a cup of beans from ground level to counter level.

During these activities, the students had the opportunity to question themselves, problem solve and work collaboratively in teams.  

If the weekend was any indication of what these students might do in the future, it appears as if there may be some future engineers in District 124!