Friday, July 5, 2002

Local student experiences U.S. government

Harrison Lobdell IV, a student at Fayette County High school recently got a first-hand look at the federal government.

He and more than 200 other high school juniors and seniors from 43 states took part in the Presidential Classroom Media and Democracy Program in Washington. D.C. in June. They spent a week discussing the role of the media and current issues with Washington policy makers and observing the federal government at work.

Highlights for the week included workshops led by the Newseum on media ethics and photo ethics, and seminars with U.S. Representative John Duncan, R-Tenn., and General James Jones, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Students also visited foreign embassies, spent two days exploring Capitol Hill and attended a performance at the Kennedy Center.

In order to qualify for the program, students must be juniors or seniors with a minimum 3.0 grade point average. For more information on Presidential Classroom programs contact them at 1-800-441-6533 or visit www.presidentialclassroom.org.