Government & Politics Students Take on D.C. and USDA
Credit: Charles Colten
The Government and Politics Class visited the USDA building to debate Genetically Modified Organisms.
November 20, 2015
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, history teacher Stephen Fitzpatrick, and his U.S. Government and Politics class, as well as chaperone Charles Colten, Director of Community Wellbeing, began their journey to Washington D.C. from NYC at 7:15 am. They took a subway to Penn Station, and then a three hour Amtrak train to our nation’s capital.
While in Washington, the class had a unique opportunity to deliver a presentation to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a debate format, about the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) as food in the United States. The USDA works to regulate GMO’s with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Mr. Fitzpatrick was able to organize this special opportunity for his students because his brother-in-law works for Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of Agriculture.
“Even though the USDA may not be the most visible or newsworthy cabinet post, the Department of Agriculture does an extraordinary amount of work for the country,” said Mr. Fitzpatrick. The USDA’s cabinet post is also important economically — the U.S. is the largest exporter of food products in the world, and the USDA has over $100 billion in its budget and employs over 100,00 people.
During the week leading up to the trip, the nine Gov students were divided into teams and prepared a short debate style presentation in class, researching the topics and developing them. In their teams they did extensive research in class on their assigned issue leading up to their trip. In their presentations, they debated two main issues: (1) whether the USDA should support the development and continued use of GMO’s and agricultural biotechnology in general, and (2) if labels should be put on raw food products with GMO’s. They discussed these issues with representatives from the USDA in their respective groups, asking questions about the USDA’s stance on GMO related issues as well as presenting their opinions.
In addition to their presentation, the class visited some of the sites in Washington. They visited the American History and Natural History Smithsonian Museums, and saw the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and Supreme Court. “My favorite was the Natural History Museum, I loved seeing the exhibit on early human life and getting to see the Hope Diamond,” said senior Ella Charkes.
Mr. Fitzpatrick hoped that, after learning more about departments of the government like the USDA, his students were able to see an alternative view of how the government works and have a greater appreciation for how tax dollars are used, a subject he believes has been undercovered due to the media’s focus on the Presidential race.
“This is crucial knowledge for members of a democracy so they can make informed decisions about selecting their leaders and following the issues of the day. Furthermore, it helps put a face and real world experience to the kinds of issues we discuss in class on a daily basis,” said Mr. Fitzpatrick, about his students and their work in the coming months.
The class took an Amtrak train home, arriving in Grand Central at about 10 p.m., after a very exciting day full of new learning experiences, that they will be sure to keep in mind as they continue throughout the school year.
