Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Ten GHS To Make Trip To Washington, D.C.

While Congress debates the nation's budget and the Balanced Budget Amendment, ten Gurdon High School students and teacher Carolyn Kuhn will have a front row seat as they travel to Washington next week.

They will be in Washington, D.C., to learn first hand how American government operates. The students will be participating in the Close Up Foundation government studies program for high school students.

During their week in Washington the students will attend seminars with members of Congress and meet with a representative of the Washington press corps, lobbyists, government officials and political figures to learn more about the federal process. Time will also be provided to tour the city, to visit local universities and for cultural activities.

The local group will be mixed with students from other areas of the country in workshop groups where they will have daily discussions and activities focused on current events and on the governing process.

"We offer the opportunity to see Washington as a living city by taking them into the buildings they often see only on television and then questioning law- and policymakers they may only read about," Steve Janger, president of Close Up Foundation, said. "Through the experience, we have found that students return home with an interest in both national and community affairs. They want to become involved."

Janger said that one of the main goals of the program is to show the student that one person can have an impact on the community.

Kuhn will accompany the students not as a chaperone, but as a participant in a program designed to acquaint her with an in-depth study of current issues and with innovative educatinal techniques.

Close Up provides fellowships for teachers and for low-income students through a Congressional appropriation, with additional support from the Fred Darragh Foundation; Kansas City Southern Industires, Inc.; The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; and Union Pacific Corporation.

The Close Up Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides first hand opportunities to learn about the democratic process and the role of the individual.

Since 1970, more than 450,000 students, teachers and others have taken part in Close Up Washington Programs.

The Gurdon students are Terrie Brown, Amber Carpenter, JoJo Gattis, Tara Hughes, Jackie Ledbetter, Leah Lynn, Kimberly Robertson, Deborrah Shepherd, Amanda Vernon and Melanie Wilson.

They will arrive in Washington on Sunday, March 2, and return home on Saturday, March 8.