Telstar class gains a lot from big city experience

BETHEL — The majority of Telstar's Freshman Class traveled to Washington D.C. at the end of March.

Students stayed at a National 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md. The center was formerly a women's college.

The trip was connected to the current units students are studying, including astronomy, social studies and art. They visited the Air and Space Museum, the Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol and the Renwick Gallery, which is a section of the Smithsonian Art Museum.

Students also visited the zoo, the Library of Congress, the Natural History Museum, took tours of the monuments and walked past the White House.

"A lot of it is directly connected with the curriculum and some of it's just where the mind is opened by experience," 4-H Professional Educator Norman Greenberg said. "Some of the things kids learn has nothing to do with what places we're going, it's just experiencing a big city, and big buildings, and more cultural diversity."

In some of the facilities students were allowed to partner up and tour the buildings together, giving them more sense of responsibility and independence.

Greenberg said each class trip has had more independence and freedom as the year has progressed.

Another big highlight of the trip was having students meet with Congressman Jared Golden and Senator Angus King.

"We think it's really important for them to understand how their government works and the point of public education is creating good, involved and educated citizens," Greenberg said. "It's really important that they become familiar with the people that represent them in D.C."

Greenberg said King and Golden spoke to students for a couple of minutes, talking about where they live, what they do and what inspired them to get involved with politics. Students then got to ask them questions.

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