LYNCHBURG, Virginia USA — Nick Markham grasps the ignition switch and waits for his cue.

“10… 9… 8…”

A dozen other middle schoolers circle around, shouting out the countdown.

“7…6…5…4…”

Nick looks up in anticipation.

“3…2…1!”

He pushes the switch, and his foot-tall rocket launches.

For a brief moment, Nick soars with it high into the air as a grin spreads across his face.

This week, Central Virginia Community College hosted 225 middle and high school students for its 10th annual Summer Academies. The students learned about topics such as manufacturing, agriculture, crime scene investigation and engineering.

Nick’s group focused on aviation technology.

“I was just surprised that my rocket was the first one to be (launched),” said the rising sixth grader.

The group worked with flight instructors at Liberty University, who taught them about the field and even took the children for rides in planes.

“Some of these kids have never been around an airplane,” said CVCC’s Stan Shoun, “much less flown in one.”

Such was the case for rising seventh grader Johnny Williams, who rode his first plane Wednesday afternoon, after a morning of launching model rockets.

“I thought it would just be cool to fly in a plane,” he said of his reasons for choosing the aviation camp.

Rising seventh grader Colton Spahr, on the other hand, was brought up around planes since his father was a missionary pilot.

“I’ve loved planes all my life,” he said. He also enjoyed a trip on Tuesday to see one of the Virginia State Police’s helicopters.

Shoun, who organized the camps with CVCC’s department of workforce development, said the initiative aims to catch children’s interest in careers available in Central Virginia.

The college partnered with 28 sponsors to cover the roughly $40,000 cost to put on the academies, Shoun said, and each student was charged $35 for the full week.Camps were held in Lynchburg, Bedford, Appomattox, Altavista and Sweet Briar College, and the majority of students also came from outside of Lynchburg, Shoun said.

Despite the school’s two new subject areas in culinary arts and advanced engineering — the only camp for rising ninth and 10th graders — he said demand for the programs still exceeds what the school can offer at its current level of sponsors.

About 50 students were placed on waiting lists.

“I’ve always got need,” Shoun said. “It’s just a matter of findingfunds.”

Tonda Harman looked on Wednesday as her middle schooler marveled at model rocket launches. She also has a child in the advanced engineering program, she said.

“This is so exciting because ninth and 10th graders, there’s a gap and nothing for them. That’s a hole there,” she said, “We think it’s a wonderful program.”

Copyright © 2008, The News & Advance.