Janesville students arrive in D.C. today for Washington Seminar
Follow the Seminar
For first time, Washington Seminar will offer a Twitter feed to update people back home on the students’ activities each day. To follow the postings, visit twitter.com/WashSeminar.
Washington Seminar students
A total of 53 Craig and Parker high school students are participating in Washington Seminar this year. The students and their topics of study are:
-- Ryan Blac—U.S. and Syrian relations
-- Henry Bolster—bipartisanship
-- Samantha Bomkamp—veterans benefits
-- Hershel Brodkey—U.S. and Israeli relations, the peace process
-- Garret Burns—budget reform
-- Sara Castro—war on drugs
-- Spencer Debroux—Medicare reform
-- Jacob Dorsey—income tax reform
-- Joel Drew—immigration reform
-- Felicia Abrabalia-Etchell—immigration reform
-- Jennifer Flores— immigration reform
-- Jennifer Flynn—national debt policy
-- Kei Fujisawa—budget reform
-- Savannah Goicoehea—parkland management
-- Rebecca Harmata—war on drugs with Mexican drug cartels
-- Travis Hawkinson—college financial aid policy
-- Josh Henry—implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act
-- Kate Ingle—bipartisanship
-- Joel Jarstad— war on drugs with Mexican drug cartels
-- Monica Jensen—democratization efforts in Arab Spring countries
-- Austin Kessler— immigration reform
-- Katie Klubertanz—U.S. and EU relations, the Eurozone financial crisis
-- Elizabeth Maginot—nuclear energy policy
-- Alec McCann—immigration enforcement policy
-- Brice McCluskey—banking reform
-- Megan Mitchell—treatment for wounded veterans
-- Erin Muehlenkamp—U.S. and Egyptian relations
-- Jon Muetz—veterans transition programs and job creation
-- Colin Murdy—corporate tax reform
-- Kara Murphy—budget reform
-- Taylor Palmby—budget reform
-- Haley Peterson—Race to the Top education reform program
-- Britini Pettit—war on drugs with Mexican drug cartels
-- Travis Reeves—tax reform
-- Andrew Reid—U.S. foreign aid policy to Arab Spring countries
-- Ellen Reid—privatization of NASA and new NASA roles
-- Molly Reid—funding for the arts
-- Sydney Ressler—national parks funding
-- Emily Richardson—offshore oil drilling policy
-- Hannah Rudkin—veterans benefits
-- Connor Sheedy—SEC capital gains policy
-- Regan Sitorius—SEC reform
-- Erika Smithrud—fuel standards
-- Caleb Stinemates—war on drugs with Mexican drug cartels
-- Janie Swingle—veterans benefits
-- Erik Tollesfrud—bipartisanship
-- Tucker Topel—funding for the arts
-- Elizabeth Tordoff—democratization efforts in Arab Spring countries
-- Izaya Turene—U.S. and Iranian and Israeli relations
-- Matt Van Remortel—budget reform
-- Alison Wagner—education policy/RTT and student achievement
-- Tyler Weilbrenner— college financial aid policy
-- Dayna Wimann— national parks funding
In its 41st year, Washington Seminar is celebrating three firsts: Molly, Ellen and Andrew Reid.
The three Parker High School siblings are the first set of triplets to participate in the program since it was founded by John Eyster in 1973.
The 17-year-old triplets are among 53 students from Craig and Parker high schools arriving in Washington, D.C., today. All the students are enrolled in the school district’s Advanced Placement U.S. Government course.
Washington Seminar students choose a federal government issue to research through the school year. Each year during second semester, Washington Seminar scholars travel to Washington, D.C., to conduct field research on their topics.
The Reid triplets have chosen topics as different as their interests.
Andrew is focusing on U.S. foreign aid policy to Arab Spring countries, Ellen is studying privatization of NASA and new NASA roles, and Molly is studying funding for the arts.
Their father, Tim Reid, said their personalities have shown through since they were in their bassinets.
“Andrew would kind of kick his blanket around. With Molly, there was nothing out of place, and Ellen was curled up in the end in the bassinet with the blanket hanging out,” Tim said.
“Ellen pushes the envelope, Andrew is very determined once he sets his mind to something and Molly is hugely organized,” he said.
While they are different with different interests, there are some similarities. All three, for example, are in the National Honor Society.
Molly has been involved both in acting and the technical side in Parker Playhouse and Bower City Theater Company. She had a part in Miss Saigon. She is considering a career in speech pathology or engineering.
“I am interested in government and wanted to learn more, so I took the AP government class,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot and look forward to going to Washington to learn more from my interviews.”
Andrew works at Kmart and through years of scouting earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He’s also been involved in tennis and Spanish Club at Parker.
“I enrolled in AP government to learn more about government and democracy,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the trip to Washington where I already have an interview scheduled at the Cato Institute.”
Andrew has been accepted at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.
Ellen is involved in Parker choir musicals, Bower City Theater Company and Parker band, and serves as a guide at the Janesville School Outdoor Lab. She plans to pursue a theater career.
“I am in the honors track for social studies, so AP government is part of that. I’m glad it’s offered,” she said. “I heard it was a great class, and it is. I’m looking forward to researching my topic, NASA and the privatization of space, while in Washington.”
While in Washington, D.C., seminar students will receive briefings from Rep. Paul Ryan, Rep. Mark Pocan, Sen. Ron Johnson and Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The students will start the week off with a briefing at the National Press Club by Craig Gilbert, the Washington Bureau chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Mar 10, 2013 at 2:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
they spelled my grand daughter name wrong in listing of kids going.
Mar 10, 2013 at 6:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
But they won't get to tour the White House. What a shame! And what a small immature gesture on the part of the administration.
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