From left, Lily Benedetto, Ellery Yohe, Laken Raynor, Gavin Rogers, Sean Verbosky, Fletcher Demink, Nathan Cresanti, Trey Demink, Nate Cornell and Jack Mansfield students with Maple Grove High School’s Advanced Placement Politics and Government class pose for a picture March 11, with the Washington Monument in the background, during a class trip.
Seniors with the Maple Grove High School’s Advanced Placement Politics and Government class took a trip to Washington D.C. in March. The students visited with locally-elected lawmakers, learned about the “ins and outs” of our Republican form of government and visited several landmark monuments.
Patty Rizzo, the Advanced Placement Politics and Government teacher, heaped a hearty helping of praise upon her students for raising the money needed to take the trip.
“These students worked at every concession stand for every event at our school,” she said. “They’ve worked really hard to be able to go on the trip and I’m very, very proud of each and every one of them.”
For Rizzo’s AP class, the chance to see and learn about the government and to visit the nation’s historical landmarks were not only moving, but educational as well.
From back left are Gavin Rogers, Trey Demink, Nathan Cresanti, Sean Verbosky, Jack Mansfield, Ellery Yohe, Front: Fletcher Demink, Nate Cornell, pose for a picture in front of the Marines Memorial, during an Advance Placement Politics and Government class trip to Washington D.C. The Maple Grove High School class raised all the funds to take this trip during the school year.
“We got to meet our representative, Nick Langworthy, (R, U.S. House of Representative,)” said Trey Demink, a senior.. “The technology and way the government works is amazing.”
For student Fletcher Demink, hearing about the representative’s perspective on current issues was meaningful and may lead to him attempting to obtain employment at the federal level after his college ambitions.
“Hearing Rep. Langworthy’s position on immigration was insightful,” he said. “I want to study finances in college. I may look at getting a job in this field with the government.”
For one student, visiting the nation’s monuments at night amplified the significance and meaning as to why some of the monuments have been erected.
“We visited several of the main monuments at night,” said Laken Raynor, A.P. student. “Seeing the Marine’s Memorial, with the lights glowing on it at night, really had an impact on me.”
The Marine’s Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) was inspired by the iconic 1945 photograph of six Marines raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II and was taken by Associated Press combat photographer Joe Rosenthal according to nps.gov.
And for Rizzo, conducting more of these field trips is something she’d like to do again.
“This trip was so informational and educational for the students,” she said. “It has been my goal for a long time to do a trip like this, and these students made it happen. I’m so proud of each of them. I’m hoping to do more of these types of trips in the future.”
