Transcript
Click here for the full video page and educator materials.
TEXT ON SCREEN:
WASHINGTON, D.C.
TOUR GUIDE: Welcome. Welcome. All right. Let me be the first to welcome you to D.C..
TEXT ONSCREEN:
WAUWATOSA WEST HIGH SCHOOL, WISCONSIN
STUDENT: I love when there’s leaves on trees.
STUDENT: That’s such a Wisconsin statement.
JOURNEYLOVE: This is honestly why I took this class. It’s just a really cool opportunity that not everyone gets. So honestly I’m just really grateful for that.
TEXT ONSCREEN:
SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL, WYOMING
ERIN LINDT: Getting to travel across the country with 30 kids. It’s a whole new bonding experience. I tell them, like, you will never get this experience ever replicated in a classroom ever again.
TEXT ONSCREEN:
SHERIDAN HIGH SCHOOL, WYOMING
MIKE THOMAS: What’s the significance?
MIKE THOMAS (IN INTERVIEW): Bringing kids to Washington, D.C., some of them have never left our town, and some have never flown on an airplane before.
MIKE THOMAS: Everything in D.C. has some sort of symbolism. Okay? The streets that run this way are all state names. There’s Pennsylvania Avenue, there’s Wyoming Avenue to represent federalism and the division of power between the states and the national government. Everything has symbolism, all of it. It’s all done with a purpose.
ELIAS: In July I will be headed up to basic on my 18th birthday. Everything that I’ve done up to high school has led up to this point.
ERIN LINDT: This time in a kid’s life is intense. In many ways you’re like going through this transition where you’re trying to emotionally prepare yourself for adulthood. Where you’re like trying to find yourself, but you’re also like trying to separate from your old self.
ELIAS: Is it nice living in D.C.?
TOUR GUIDE: I love it. Absolutely love it.
ELIAS: There are so many people here. I love it.
ERIN LINDT: I think Elias, he’s grown into his own this year. I think he’s willing to look at things at face value.
ELIAS: Who’s all getting in?
STUDENT (TAKING A PHOT): ELias! You need to get in!
ERIN LINDT: He’s like, well, I’m going to be active service and I’m going to help my dad afterwards start paying off his house.
ELIAS: I’ve worked for this and now I get to do what I want to do. Cause if you don’t take action now, you’re not going to be able to take action later.
(END)
Citizen Nation: Symbolism in D.C.: It’s All Done With a Purpose
Students from Wyoming and Wisconsin arrive in Washington D.C. for the We the People national finals.
As they explore the nation’s capital, they discover the symbolism of the city and its monuments, and prepare themselves for life after graduation. This clip and lesson help students explore the power of symbolism in D.C. and in their own communities.
This is an excerpt from ‘Citizen Nation,’ a four-part coming-of-age story that follows teenagers from across the U.S. with diverse personal and political backgrounds as they come together to compete in the nation’s premier civics competition, We the People. Watch the full hour or watch the series.
The resources were funded in part by the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics Award from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
The We the People program is conducted by the Center for Civic Education.
- Series Creator: Bret Sigler
- Director: Singeli Agnew
- Supervising Producer: Veronika Adaskova
- Series and Episode Lead Editor: Benji Kast
- Field Producer: Emily Orr
- Field Producer: Wesley Harris
- Associate Producer: Cole Cahill
- Post Production Supervisor: Cullen Golden
Grades
6-12
1 Lesson Plan
