Photo by Sam Yu Crestwood Middle School sixth-graders John Chaney, left, and Josh Costello recently attended the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Bethesda.

His best friend, fellow sixth-grader Josh Costello, is considering running for a student government office next year.

Both boys credit a leadership conference they recently attended for providing the inspiration for their new goals.

John and Josh spent six days at the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Bethesda. They lived in dormitories with students from across the country. Each day included classes and workshops, as well as field trips.

Exercises included a mock trial, with students split up on prosecution and defense teams. They conducted research, pored over evidence and presented their cases to a judge.

Josh said one of the lessons that made an impact on him was learning about the six traits of leadership.

Before this trip, neither boy had spent time away from family members. Both said the best part of the experience was making new friends from different places.

"Every day, we played these games so that we could get to know each other better and feel more comfortable with each other," John said.

The boys were placed in teams of students for the duration of the conference. Josh was a member of Team Work I. John was assigned to Respect II. Each team stayed together for workshops, field trips and other activities.

Field trip destinations included the Newseum, Harpers Ferry and the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore.

Josh's favorite experience was spending the night at the Science Center. After seeing a movie on the center's Imax screen and touring the center, the children bedded down in sleeping bags for the night, he said.

Attendance at the conference is by invitation only; students have to be nominated to attend.

Both Josh and John were nominated by Jessica Brown, physical education teacher at Ballenger Creek Elementary School, which the boys attended until this year.

"I noticed their leadership potential when working with others in game situations and admired the choices they made," Brown wrote in an e-mail.

"I felt the leadership program would offer them an opportunity at such a young age to work with other youngsters to learn ways of becoming leaders."

Brown said she nominated the boys for the honor based upon her observations over five years of teaching them and watching them grow. She also consulted with the boys' classroom teachers before submitting the nomination.

The conference carries a hefty cost, and both families sacrificed to send their sons to the event.

The fee to attend is $1,890, according to the Congressional Youth Leadership Council website. The fee includes housing, meals and program materials but does not include transportation to and from the conference site.

The organization encourages potential participants to hold fundraisers to offset the cost of the program, and provides some fundraising guidance.

Josh's family sacrificed its vacation last summer to pay for his conference tuition, said his mother, Barbara Costello.

"My husband and I were so excited for Josh to have the chance to meet kids from all over," she said. "We gave up our summer vacation and made other sacrifices, but we think it was well worth it."

John's grandmother paid the bulk of his fee to attend, according to his father, John Chaney.

"The children get involved in sports and get their accolades there," the elder Chaney said. "We thought this was a good opportunity to get other skills and develop those leadership traits at a young age.

"And this recognizes them for their brains and grades, not just sports."

John and Josh both think the experience was valuable and will serve them well throughout the rest of their public school education and beyond.

"I learned that being a leader can lead to good jobs, and that's very important," John said. "Last year, we took a quiz in class, and the quiz told me that I would be good at being a doctor or lawyer.

"And that's my goal."

Josh wants to be a businessman, though he doesn't have a specific business in mind.

"I'd like to own my own business and make it successful," he said. "I'd like to provide things people need."