Caption: Front row, Aleosondra Cruz, Rebecca Davis, Adalia Davis, Noah Joe and Colston Grissett; Second row, Will Underhill, Jaclyn Maneri, Grant Dietrich, Paulette Orhii and Cameron Lavine; and Third row, Lauren Vela, Tayelor Bade, Michael Elder, U.S. Rep. Pete Olsen and Evan Matthews.
Thirteen George Ranch High School students and their teacher visited Washington, D.C. Feb. 1-6, meeting elected officials and learning the responsibilities of being an American.
This trip is a first of hopefully many for our students, said Adalia Davis, a geography and history teacher at the school.
The trip was made through the Close Up Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering students to be responsible citizens in a democracy.
The students spent the week participating in in workshops, simulations, attending sessions in both Houses of Congress and visiting monuments across the District of Columbia, including the White House.
Close Up program students spend a day on Capitol Hill and one of the highlights for the students was attending a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The hearing focused on ending modern slavery/human trafficking.
U.S. Rep. Pete Olsen met with the group between votes, and Davis and her students also participated in a panel discussion with staff members of U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.