On March 4-9, eight Bonners Ferry High School students and two of their teachers went to Washington DC on an in-depth tour of our national capitol.

The students met other high schoolers from across the country with a group called CloseUp in a week long program designed to educate students on civic participation and topics in American history and government. CloseUp, established in 1977, is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that has been providing students with opportunities to explore Washington, D.C. through in-depth workshops and experiences.

Highlights of the trip included discussions and analysis of the Vietnam Memorial, Washington Monument, MLK Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, the White House, and others. They were also able to visit a handful of museums, including the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum where they were able to meet and visit with Marty Weiss, an 89 year old survivor of both the Auschwitz and Mauthausen concentration camps.

The banner moment of the trip was a day spent on Capitol Hill meeting with Idaho representatives and their staff. The Bonners Ferry students were able to visit for half an hour with Representative and Idaho gubernatorial candidate Raul Labrador and ask him question about his perspectives on national issues as well as questions about his current campaign. Senator Mike Crapo’s staff also hosted the group and at Senator Risch’s office they were greeted by BFHS graduate Ayla Neumeyer who talked to them about her duties working for the senator. The day also included a tour of the US Capitol building, a trip to the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and lunch in the senate cafeteria.

The students would like to extend their thanks to Idaho Forest Group, which made a donation that went to every student to help them afford the costs of the trip.