SCCOE
SAN JOSE, CA
Nineteen high school students from the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s (SCCOE) Migrant Education Program visited our nation’s capital from June 12 to 18 as part of the Close Up “Program for New Americans.” The program consists of a week-long trip to Washington D.C., including a visit to the Lincoln Memorial and a viewing of the nation’s three founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
According to Carlos Acosta, the SCCOE’s Migrant Education Program (MEP) Manager, the program is designed to “promote democracy and give students an opportunity to learn about government.” Acosta said the trip’s highlights “included a visit to Representative Mike Honda’s office, meeting Senator Elizabeth Warren, and running into the Prince of Saudi Arabia in the hallway on the way to the House of Representatives gallery.”
Participants engage in government through Mock Presidential Elections and Congress debates, in addition to learning about immigration, civil rights, and the citizen’s role in shaping policy. Other events include visiting major historic sites, universities, and witnessing the Senate and House of Representatives in action.
The SCCOE’s MEP serves nearly 2,000 students aged 3-21. The goal of this program is to “provide supplemental services to support Migrant students meet the academic standards of local school districts.”
Photo Credit: Santa Clara County Office of Education
