Spending six days on the intense study of politics may not sound like an enjoyable activity to many students, but Flathead's 20 Close-up students would probably disagree. Last week, students from FHS, accompanied by social sciences teacher Dan English and library/media specialist John York, traveled to Washington, D.C. to learn first-hand about the workings of the government.
"I loved it!" said junior Megan DeJana. "The city itself is amazing. They also did a great job at showing us all the monuments and we got to meet all sorts of people. It was wonderful."
Many of the students were impressed by their fellow program participants.
"The social part was the best part," said junior Angie Palmer. "We met people from Mississippi and California. It was a good chance to see different cultures and even hear the different ways that people talk. It was amazing."
Despite social benefits, Close-up was a trip emphasising knowledge and learning. The schedule was quite vigorous, starting at 6:30 a.m. and often going until 10:30 p.m., including tours of monuments, attending seminars and workshops and going to museums and Capitol Hill. Students sat in on both House and Senate sessions and tried to see as much as they could.
Perhaps the students' favorite activity was touring the Holocaust Museum, a museum honoring those murdered by Nazi troops in WWII. The students received a booklet with the life story of one victim of the Holocaust when they walked in. On the tour, they were told to turn to the next page in the booklet, bringing the effect of "walking" through that person's life.
"We were all just bawling," said DeJana. "It really brought out the emotions and the suffering of that time."
"It's hard to put into words what you felt," said junior Aaron Ober. "I couldn't even bring myself to take any pictures there."
While all of the participants found the program enjoyable, the students who attended Close-Up had many different reasons for going.
Some of the participants did not know much about politics going into the trip, and they regretted not learning more before they arrived.
"I learned just exactly how politically inept I am," said Ober. "Had I been better informed, I think I probably would have gotten more out of it."
Most of the students who went to Washington, D.C., urge others to go, even those who are not interested in politics. They feel that what they learned went beyond politics - into tolerance.
"I learned that everybody is going to have a different view and that you have to listen," said Palmer. "I also learned that everybody is good. You just have to stop looking for the bad."