The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Carrington High School Close Up attendees, front row, left to right: Mya Reimche-Nelson, Elayna Konschak, Alexis Wangen, Kaydence Oatis, Baylee Lura and Carrie Hovdenes. Second row: Kirra Kvamme, Chloe Hovdenes, Emma Hone, Ty Johnston, Jack Paulson and Ms. Michaelson. Third row: Representative Kelly Armstrong, Allison Jarrett, Mya Schroeder, Kael Kovar, Luke Page and Ean Hovdenes. Fourth row: Kaylee Barone, Trace Hoggarth, Hudson Schmitz, Braden Kruse, Carter Larson, Jack Erickson and Calvin Sisson. Top row: Austin Neumiller, Jonathan Murphy, Max Beumer, Wyatt Neuman and Gavyn Anderson. Missing from the picture: Rebecca Keys, Sage Patzer and Kaley Kostelnik.
Hudson Schmitz stands in front of the iconic sculpture of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Kaylee Barone, Emma Hone, Chloe Hovdenes, Kaydence Oatis and Baylee Lura visit the Jefferson Memorial.
Museums, memorials, food and shopping were some of the things on the list for the Carrington High School Close Up students when they flew to our nation's capital.
Two students who attended the program offered their thoughts on what they saw and what they did on their trek.
CHS senior Hudson Schmitz said they went to Washington, D.C. and New York City.
On Capitol Hill he said the Lincoln Memorial was his personal favorite place to visit.
"We saw many memorials and museums. Lincoln, multiple war memorials, 9/11, Capitol building and much more.
"There were a few protests that were going around when we were there. It was nothing too crazy though," said Schmitz.
When visiting the capitol building, Schmitz said, "We got to tour the main rooms of the Capitol Building. It was very cool to see the inside of the Capitol. We also met Representative Armstrong, which was cool."
Schmitz said there weren't many opportunities to get away and go shopping, but almost every memorial and museum had shops and little stores.
He said he would not go back to Washington D.C., because all of the monuments are worth seeing once and only once for him.
"But I would love to go back to New York City because I enjoy the big city atmosphere and we didn't get much time there."
As for the food, Schmitz said they mainly ate at food courts in malls because their workshops didn't give them much freedom.
Another perspective of the Close Up adventure came from senior Emma Hone.
Hone said her favorite part of the trip was getting to meet people from across the country and hear different viewpoints on things going on in the country today.
She said on Monday, she had the opportunity to visit the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the sculpture garden, and the Smithsonian.
"On Tuesday we toured the national mall featuring the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and traveled to the Pentagon to see the 9/11 Memorial.
"On Wednesday, we visited our nation's Capitol, the White House, Arlington Cemetery, the Botanic Gardens, and the Library of Congress."
Hone said on Thursday, they went to Mount Vernon and the Holocaust Museum and on Friday, they traveled to New York City.
"Once we arrived, we visited Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square, and Broadway to watch the show called 'Shucked'."
She said on Saturday, their final day, they visited Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the New York Stock Exchange, the Charging Bull, Fearless Girl, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Rockefeller Plaza.
Hone said while on Capitol Hill they did not see any major protests, but at the Lincoln Memorial there were one or two people with signs speaking about former president Trump's potential indictment and arrest and some religious groups handing out brochures.
As for shopping, unlike Schmitz, Hone said they had a "surprising amount of time to go shopping."
"Often times we would eat in malls, so if you were done eating early, you could go shop. They gave us plenty of time to go to the gift shops at all the different memorials. After supper on Saturday, we were able to explore the touristy vendors in New York and pick up some souvenirs."
Hone said unfortunately they did not spend much time on Capitol Hill.
"We toured the Capitol and Representative Kelly Armstrong spoke to all the schools from North Dakota on the steps of the House. Senator Hoeven and Cramer also spoke, but we did not get to listen to them. We did get floor passes from Senator Hoeven, but we didn't have time to use them," said Hone.
Hone said she would go back to D.C. in a heartbeat.
"I've visited D.C. before and I feel like it's just an experience you can't get anywhere else. It's different every time you go, and never disappoints. Truly, D.C. has my heart, and though I wouldn't want to live there, I would never pass on an opportunity to take a trip there."
Hone said most days their hotel offered them breakfast and supper, but their lunch was at different places throughout D.C.
"In New York, we often had a range of 4-5 streets and we could pick any restaurant to eat at."
"I would say the biggest difference in food from North Dakota to the East coast would be the price. Everything there was so much more expensive and the stores wouldn't put prices on a lot of the stuff. It was nice to come home; everything seemed so much more affordable."
She said what she learned from her trip was how the memorials represent what the country has lost but also accomplished.
"I was able to hear different perspectives on issues that our country is currently being impacted by and solutions that people from across North Dakota and our country believed in," said Hone.
