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Connections Academy 7th Grader, Luke Meck, Takes First Place at Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science Finals

Virtual School Student Awarded Top Honors  for Physics

DILLSBURG, PA (May 19, 2010)—Perpetual motion’s existence (the ability for an object’s motion to last indefinitely) has been debated by prominent scientists for centuries, so it’s not typically something you would think a middle school student would want to tackle. But with strong ambition and an interest in magnets, Commonwealth Connections Academy seventh grader Luke Meck has set out to prove it exists.

With his rotating magnet project, Meck won a first place award in the physics category at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) State Finals on May 17th at Pennsylvania State University. He earned his spot at the competition after winning first place in the PJAS Regional competition in February.

“Perpetual motion is something my dad had talked about for a while, and we had always played with magnets and talked about how I may be able to do this,” said Meck. “When I got nominated by my teachers to participate [in PJAS] I knew that this project would be interesting and was what I definitely wanted to do.”

Meck explained that some scientists believe perpetual motion is impossible, due to the laws of physics. His winning experiment set out to prove disbelievers wrong.

Lining a PVC pipe with magnets facing north, Meck then inserted a small piece of pipe (also with north facing magnets) into the center of the larger pipe on a bearing. Since both pipes had north facing magnets they pushed away from each other – causing the smaller pipe on the bearing to push and spin. Under Meck’s hypothesis, the smaller pipe would continue spinning for eternity.

“Luke designed an experiment far advanced for his seventh grade level and was tenacious in redesigning his approaches toward proving that perpetual motion is possible on Earth. What a big thinker!” said his teacher, Diane DeBaise.
Although his experiment did not prove perpetual motion this year, Meck says he is going to work on improvements to his research and will enter the competition again next year in order to prove his hypothesis.

Meck has also won a Brinjac Engineering Inc. $100 scholarship award for this project.

Commonwealth Connections Academy is a leading virtual public school in Pennsylvania serving students statewide in grades K–12. Commonwealth Connections Academy delivers a high-quality public education online to students who are looking for an innovative and flexible alternative to the traditional classroom. Commonwealth Connections Academy combines Pennsylvania-certified teachers, a standards-aligned curriculum, unique technology tools, an extensive selection of electives and clubs, and community experiences to create an individualized education. Enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year is going on now. Interested families are encouraged to attend one of the many public information sessions scheduled across the state. Online information sessions are also available. Learn more by calling 800-382-6010 or by visiting www.ConnectionsAcademy.com.

About Connections Academy

Connections Academy is a leading, fully accredited provider of high-quality, highly accountable virtual schooling for students in grades K–12. Through tuition-free public schools, full-time and part-time private school programs, and turnkey online courses for bricks and mortar schools, Connections Academy delivers superior, personalized educations for students, with the freedom and flexibility to experience our online learning community from anywhere. The combination of certified teachers, a proven curriculum, technology tools, and community experiences creates a supportive and successful online learning opportunity for families and children who want an individualized approach to education.

In the 2010–11 school year, Connections Academy will serve students in Arizona, California (Southern and Central), Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming through its public school programs. It serves students worldwide through the online private school, National Connections Academy. Connections Academy offers grades K through 12, though some public school programs do not offer all grades. For more information, call 800-382-6010 or visit www.ConnectionsAcademy.com.