Students from Wrangell High School's Close Up trip assemble on the National Mall, just outside the U.S. Capitol. The group spent a week in Washington D.C. before heading to New York City for the weekend.
A group of Wrangell High School students blitzed two of the East Coast's premier cities last week, heading to Washington D.C. on April 21 and spending last weekend in New York City.
Traveling as part of the Close Up program, the dozen students returned Monday morning, weary but well educated from the experience.
"They're exhausted. We're all exhausted," explained Sarah Whittlesey-Merritt, who accompanied them as their program instructor.
For 40 years the Close Up program has aimed to inform and educate young people to exercise their rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Joining students from around the country and its territories in the nation's capital, students start their days early, leaving the hotel typically by 7 a.m. They go through courses all day, oftentimes wrapping up as late as 10 p.m.
"They learn, learn, learn, learn, learn," said Whittlesey-Merrit.
Visiting an array of museums, monuments and memorials, attending cultural events and informative workshops, students are encouraged to explore and express their opinions on current issues. Getting to be where decisions and news get made is an eye-opening experience for the students, Whittlesey-Merritt explained, because it takes stories that might otherwise seem abstract and really makes a connection.
For instance, meeting Alaska's congressional delegation on the steps of the Capitol last week, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan were only able to stay a few moments. Sullivan pointed out a motorcade of buses that were there to load up members of the Senate, taking them to an emergency briefing at the White House on the North Korea situation called by President Donald Trump. The session would be a major highlight in coverage on the news and late night television circuits Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Wrangell students were able to see it firsthand.
"That was all happening while we were there," Whittlesey-Merritt said.
The group also missed some events in the making, leaving New York shortly before a bomb threat shut down an iconic intersection Sunday evening. Two suspicious packages found were later reported to be nonthreatening by police officials.
While in New York City over the weekend the student group visited the 9/11 Memorial in downtown Manhattan, Wall Street, Ellis Island and the Statute of Liberty. Students also had time for a bit of culture, checking out the Metropolitan Museum of Art and catching a show on Broadway.
"At every one of these sites the students are educated on the importance of these sites and what they teach us today as a nation," Whittlesey-Merritt explained. "It was really a cultural and educational experience for the kids."
Students were given a chance to comment on their favorite visits during the trip. Charley Seddon enjoyed the ragtime show at Ford's Theatre in D.C., and the 9/11 Memorial Site in New York. Erin Galla appreciated the tour of the U.S. Capitol, and Broadway's showing of "Phantom of the Opera." Kayla Hay loved the Eastern Market in D.C. and New York's Central Park. Caleb Groshong liked Times Square and Capitol Hill Day in Washington.
In addition to the Capitol tour, Draven Golding enjoyed the view from the top of New York's Rockefeller Center. Garrett Miller was most impressed by the Lincoln Memorial and Times Square, while Ian Jenson picked Washington's World War II Memorial and the Brooklyn Bridge as his favorite places. For Mikel Smith the shopping in D.C. and the ferry ride to the Statute of Liberty stood out, and Riley Blatchley concurred that the Capitol tour and Brooklyn Bridge were top spots.
Sam Prysunka most enjoyed the Close Up dance in Washington, while in New York he was moved by the 9/11 Memorial. Sig Decker enjoyed the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, but couldn't decide between the Brooklyn Bridge and Rockefeller Center. Tarren Legg-Privett had a similarly difficult decision, tied between the different war memorials in D.C. and Ford's Theatre.
Whittlesey-Merritt expressed her appreciation to the community for its support for the program. Students work to raise travel funds themselves, but quite a bit of help comes from community members and parents.
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