Washington, D.C. was the spot as 32 students and 3 teachers from McIntosh High got hands-on for a week of sight-seeing and civic engagement workshops through the Close Up Foundation.

While in D.C., the Chiefs got to witness the 2025 Presidential Inauguration. Even with the last minute moving of the inauguration to an indoor venue, the students still managed a memorable visit to our nation’s capital. They received a private tour of the U.S. capitol building with a staffer of Senator Jon Osoff, explored all the national mall has to offer in memorials and museums, and participated in debates and a mock congress with several hundred other students from all over the country.

“These students truly got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and many are already eager to return to D.C. with the Close Up program next year,” said club sponsor Dallas Reagan.

The mission of the Close Up foundation is to present a non-profit, non-partisan program to encourage civic-engagement in the next generation of voters.