Pace High School has been sending students to Washington, D.C. since 1985 for Close Up, a week-long educational experience for high school students to learn about the federal government and visit the nation’s capital.
Pace sent 32 students to D.C. from January 16 to 22 for the 32nd year of this Pace tradition, accompanied by chaperones Pace Dean of Students Valerie Lloyd, history teacher Victoria Spadafora, guidance counselor Melanie Otero, and assistant Dean Rebeca Bautista.
These Pace students interacted and worked with high school students from across the country as they traveled around Washington, D.C. and attended workshops back at the hotel. With both their Pace group and their Close-Up groups, students visited the Holocaust Museum and Washington Monument on Monday; the Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, and Korean War Memorials on Tuesday; the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Wednesday; and the Supreme Court, Capitol Hill, and the inauguration concerts on Thursday.
The biggest event of the trip was the Presidential Inauguration, which they viewed from the Washington Monument.
“The most memorable part about this trip was meeting all of the people from around the country. They exposed me to new views and helped me change my way of thinking,” said Pace junior Hector Santa Maria.