Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Six juniors leave for Close-Up trip

Six Gurdon High School juniors will board an airplane for Washington, D.C., Sunday morning, March 13, from the Little Rock Airport.

They will be the 2005 Close-up crew from Gurdon, and they are scheduled to return from their adventure at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 19. Close-up, said sponsor Misty Calley, is a national organization dedicated to educating people on the workings of the United States government by bringing them to Congress and the Senate for "close up" looks at how the sessions are progressing.

Those attending this year from GHS are: Summer Dickey, Jaquaia Dixon, Whitney Williams, Jennifer Watson, Victoria Allen and Derek Buck.

Calley said she has been sponsoring Close-up for three years. It is open to juniors and seniors. Last year, 18 attended and the year before there were 22.

"The first year I did this, we had 16 seniors and six juniors to go," she said. "Last year and this year, we have had all juniors. Some schools take freshman."

Calley said Gurdon has had a Close-up program for approximately 30 years. Once in Washington, D.C., the days are packed. She said students go to workshops, seminars, monument study visits, and visit museums, all in D.C. Then they have a Capitol Hill day.

"They will meet with Arkansas representatives and senators," she said. "The Gurdon students sit in on at least one subcommittee meeting. Their days begin at 7 a.m. and they are busy until 11 p.m. or midnight, so there is a lot to do. The group will have one free day.

"We go to Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum, plus we run around town. The free day is on Friday."

Calley said the national organization of Close-up runs programs 50 weeks out of the year. The founder was Steven Janger, who believed everyone needs a civic education. In addition to students, there are Close-up programs for the elderly and new Americans.

According to Calley, she and the Gurdon students will stay at a hotel in either Alexander, Virginia or Arlington, rather than Washington, D.C.

"It is just easier to stay a few miles away, but they will get plenty of exposure to Washington D.C.," she said.

The students are invited to give their reactions to the trip in the Gurdon Times, once they are safely home.