Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Close up allows students to travel to nation's capital

Each year, students from Gurdon High School have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., as part of the Close-Up program, and sponsor Misty Calley says the trip is more than just a vacation for the participating students.

Calley, who was the guest speaker at the Gurdon Rotary Clubs meeting on Thursday, June 14, said students who travel with her to the nations capital as part of the Close-Up program do not realize the amount of work required of them on the trip until they arrive.

While spending a week in Washington, the students participate in daily workshops in which they are taught about how different things in the national government work. They also make neighborhood visits to places like Chinatown so that they may become more aware of cultural diversity, Calley said.

Another highlight of the week is the topical seminar sessions in which the students chose which topic they want to discuss. Calley said the session vary greatly in their content. Some topics include gun control and the war in Iraq.

A lot of our kids have really strong beliefs about things, she said. Its exciting to see them get fired up.

Calley noted that one of the keys to the success of the Close-Up program is getting the students out of their comfort zone.

Calley said there are only so many ways she can teach students about the federal government in the classroom, but being able to actually travel to Washington opens up new doors. Being there also helps some of the students to understand the concepts.

Until theyre actually dropped into it, they dont get it, she said. It gives them so much more than they could possibly get in the classroom.

During the week, students are able to meeting with their congressional representatives. Although the Gurdon group was not able to meet with either Arkansas senator this year, Calley said Congressman Mike Ross was on hand to talk with the students.

Calley said the students came away from the meeting with Ross with a whole new understanding of what he does. She said Ross had recently come from a debate on the House floor concerning the Dumas tornado. When one of the Gurdon students asked a question about this topic, Calley said Ross was able to provide in-depth answers with large, graphic displays. He then told the students that his debate could be seen on C-SPAN later in the evening.

Calley said that some of the students actually watched C-SPAN from their hotel rooms that evening to see Ross.

While in Washington, the students are given a free day on Friday. This day allows Calley to take the students on a tour of other parts of Washington not seen through the Close-Up program. She said she always takes the students to Arlington National Cemetery to see the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier. The students are also able to visit the Holocaust museum.

The kids really have a life changing experience at Close-Up, Calley said.

The number of schools in Arkansas that offer the Close-Up program is declining, Calley said. The Gurdon Rotary Club is a sponsor of the program in Gurdon.

In order to participate in Close-Up, students must be a junior or senior and must meet a certain grade point average guideline.