A group of 14 Mount St. Mary Academy students and two faculty members from Little Rock spent March 1-7 in Washington, D.C., experiencing the institutions and iconic sites that embody the nation’s past and present through the Close Up experiential learning program.
Highlights of the group’s weeklong adventure in the nation’s capital included visiting the U.S. Capitol, FBI headquarters, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. In addition to touring landmark buildings and famous monuments and memorials, the students could participate in debates and a Mock Congress, discuss current issues with participating students from other states, and meet with U.S. Representative French Hill.
They also attended Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral.
“Close Up shows our students firsthand what they’ve learned in class and gives them the opportunity to fully experience our nation’s capital as well as consider their roles in our political system today and in the future,” MSM social studies teacher and trip chaperone Brendan Britt said.
Britt, who participated in Close Up in high school, was instrumental in adding the program to Mount St. Mary Academy’s list of annual educational travel options in 2010.
Freshman Rose Trainor Namir said, “I really enjoyed getting to know my roommates who were from Puerto Rico, getting to meet new people from across the country, going to the monuments, and getting to meet Congressman Hill. This trip has impacted me by opening my horizons and helping me want to be more involved in my country’s government.”
