A group of 25 students, led by history teacher Allison Cota, went on the Washington D.C. Close Up trip over February break.

Close Up is a hands-on government studies program that exposes students from all over the nation to greater knowledge of the country that they live in.

“Because [students spent] time and money to go, they [wanted] to make it worth their while,” Cota said.

The students saw war memorials, presidential monuments, and the Smithsonian. They also spent a day on Capitol Hill, saw a debate between a conservative and a liberal, took part in a Congressional mock assembly, and went to a play. Cota said that the students also went on neighborhood visits as well as site visits to different places.

“The places vary from year to year. It [could have been] the Pentagon, or maybe the Washington Post,” Cota said.

On Friday, the group spent an extra free day to explore Washington D.C. on their own. Cota said that there were a lot of great things to see during this time that students might not have had time to see before.

“I’ve been so many times, but I find that I always love revisiting places and that there’s always something new to see,” Cota said.

Seniors Russell Jang and Alison Parker went on the Close Up trip for their first time this year. While Jang said that he was excited to see the monuments of Washington D.C., Parker was excited to meet people from around the country.

“I think that living in the Bay Area, everyone is very liberal in their ideas, so it is interesting to hear the opinions of people from different parts of the country,” Parker said.

Perfect for discovering varying points of view, Cota said that students were able to sign up for topicals in which they discussed current issues with other students.

Cota was excited to go to D.C., even with it being her approximately 17th time attending the Close Up trip.

“It’s fun to have an experience with students outside of the classroom,” Cota said. “It is a different level of getting to know people. It has always been quite fun.”