Niles sixth grader Drake Linton was standing in the office at Oak Manor Sixth Grade Center Thursday morning when a staff member yelled out the number “22.”

Almost instantly, Linton responded, “Titanium.”

Another person yelled out “29.”

“Copper,” Linton replied.

For the scientifically challenged, Linton was identifying the elements based on their number on the periodic table, which he said he memorized in fourth grade.

“It wasn’t that hard,” he said.

Linton’s interest in science and his talent for understanding its intricacies have led him down a path no one at his age has ever traveled at Niles Community Schools — into a college chemistry class.

Not only did Linton take the class — he aced it, earning a 93.7 percent (or A) at Lake Michigan College’s Bertrand Crossing Campus. His final exam score was 99.75 percent.

Not bad for a 12-year-old, who was studying alongside high school- and college-aged kids.

“I want to be a chemist,” said Linton, who is just finishing his sixth grade year at Oak Manor Sixth Grade Center in Niles.

The school’s principal said she has never met anyone quite like him.

“He just wants to learn,” said Molly Brawley. “No matter what it is, he is just curious and loves to read. His brain is a sponge. You give it to him and he knows it.”

 

Challenge me

Linton’s journey toward a college chemistry credit began with a concern by this mother, Teresa Lee, that normal school might not be able to adequately challenge her son, who had scored in the 99th percentile in math while a fifth grader at Howard Elementary.

To test his acumen, Brawley had Linton take a high school level honors chemistry test.

Linton missed just two questions on the first part, and aced the second.

“I was shocked, but also incredibly excited at the same time about what this meant,” Brawley said.

Brawley contacted Lake Michigan College, which administered another test to gauge Linton’s readiness for college-level material. Linton passed every portion except writing.

So what did Linton do?

He spent the following weekend studying writing online and passed the test early the next week.

“It was easy after I studied. I got a 60 before I studied and an 80 after,” Linton said.

From there, Linton enrolled in a Chemistry class. He left for LMC twice a week with high school students also taking the class.

Linton said he felt like he fit in.

“I liked it,” he said. “Chemistry is just interesting.”

So where did this interest come from?

Linton said he remembers a day in third grade when he and his brother said chemistry is boring. In response, his mother had them watch a video about chemistry.

“That’s probably when it started,” he said. “So I learned pretty fast between the end of third grade and the beginning of fourth.”

On Thursday, Linton wore a blue shirt containing a picture of the periodic table. On it is the statement, “I wear this shirt periodically.”

“It’s my favorite,” he said.

Linton did most of his studying on his own by reading books and looking online.

Brawley credits Linton’s mother for being a huge advocate for her son.

“She knows her child well and what he is capable of,” she said. “I am glad she pushed me to explore opportunities for him.”

Linton said he plans to take a college biology class at LMC this fall.