Jesuit College Prep is one of the most innovative schools around, particularly when it comes to summer programs. A few years ago, science teachers Ben Kirby and Dr. Todd Gruninger started a Marine Biology summer program, where students got to earn half of a senior science credit by taking a three week course consisting of a two weeks in the classroom and one SCUBA diving in the British Virgin Islands. A similar program is beginning to emerge, but this one involves a visit to the most politically powerful place in the world – Washington D.C.
This new summer program offers students the opportunity to earn .5 senior social studies’ credits by knocking out their required Government course. Paralleling the Marine Biology program, this course will feature two weeks studying in the classroom and the third week in the field, seeing the government up close at its national headquarters.
The two leaders of this new program are social studies teachers Dea Ochs and Katie Segal. Mrs. Segal will teach the class itself while the two will accompany students and chaperone them during their time in the Capital.
The two weeks at Jesuit will be a rigorous, yet simplified version of the Government class that will be taken by most seniors at Jesuit. According to the program’s official announcement, students will “investigate the Constitution, how the three branches of the national government operate and work together, campaigning, elections, and policy making.”
Week three includes a visit to D.C., a trip that will be run through Close Up Washington. Mrs. Ochs explains why Close Up was the agency of choice:Â “Close Up is nationwide, well established, and well respected. We wanted to link up with a program with a good reputation, and they certainly have that. It’s a great program to get representatives and senators to speak with the kids.”
The program is also fairly priced. Travel included, the cost per student is $2250. This includes summer tuition fees for the Jesuit class.
Close Up was established in 1971, and it’s seen over 750,000 students and teachers participate. It provides students with “safe and vibrant hotels,” ensures they are well fed, and “provides full supervision including night monitors at each hotel.”
Close Up also serves as a great learning mechanism for teaching kids about the government. The up close experience is a hands-on way for students to actually see what they have learned in the classroom.
Here’s a brief description of the trip’s agenda:
Day 1: Orientation, workshop on major issues, and political debates
Day 2: Visits to the Jefferson, FDR, and MLK memorials, a photo-op at the White House, and a “Q&A with a lobbyist, journalist, or policymaker.”
Day 3: Study visits to numerous war memorials, the Capitol, the Smithsonian Air and Space museum, a foreign embassy, and much more. Ends with a mock congress workshop.
Day 4: Full day at the Capitol, a visit with members of congress, a look at the Supreme Court, and dinner at Union Station.
Day 5: Workshops on involvement in democracy, a visit to Arlington Cemetery, and a banquet and dance to conclude the trip.
Jesuit’s summer program will only be offered to rising seniors. So, the class of 2015 will be the first to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The program will coincide with other Jesuit summer classes, with the week of June 22-28 featuring the trip to D.C.
There will be an informational meeting regarding the program on Tuesday, January 14, at 7 PM in Hughes Hall.
