BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Doug Burgum today announced that Naomi Hegwood of Bismarck High School and Sandra Larson of New Rockford-Sheyenne High School have been selected to represent North Dakota at the 2019 National Youth Science Camp in Charleston, W.Va., June 27 through July 20. Samantha Weston of Fargo, Alyssa Kemp of Cavalier, Bryce Goettle of Ashley and Morgan Mastrud of Fargo have been selected as alternates.
Hegwood is ranked first in her class while taking a heavy load of Advanced Placement courses for the last two years. She scored nearly perfect on her ACT with a score of 35. Her resume includes six weeks at the North Dakota Governor’s School in the summer of 2018 researching the variation of leaf traits among Prairie Smoke populations. She has been part of Bismarck High’s national Science Olympiad and Envirothon teams. She is a National Honor Society member and is talented in art and drama. In addition to her schoolwork and extra-curriculars, Hegwood volunteers at Earth Day events, Bismarck-Mandan’s Community Theater-Dakota Stage and the Food Pantry.
Larson is the valedictorian of her class as well as an outstanding community leader and talented musician. She is active in speech, 4-H, One Act Play, Academic Decathlon, band and golf. Her accomplishments include the North Dakota Academic All-State Gold Team, National 4-H Congress, All-State Band, North Dakota Girls State and National Honor Society. Larson has also been involved in state and local government, serving as Page for the Day multiple times in the North Dakota Senate and as a volunteer in her community.
“Congratulations to Naomi and Sandra on being selected as delegates to the National Youth Science Camp,” Burgum said. “These accomplished student leaders have shown exceptional commitment to the advancement of science, civic engagement and community involvement, and they will represent our state well.”
Now in its 56th year, the National Youth Science Camp is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program hosted in the eastern mountains of West Virginia. Students will have an opportunity to conduct research at the nearby Green Bank Observatory and to explore the surrounding Monongahela National Forest through backpacking, mountain biking, caving, rock-climbing and kayaking.
Support from the National Youth Science Foundation (http://www.nysf.com) allows Hegwood and Larson to attend the camp free of charge, transportation included. For more information about the program, visit http://www.nyscamp.org.
