After school on January 9, several CIEE students, LCs, and host parents participated in an activity to learn about national and local government in the U.S. We started with a meeting at Congressman Mo Brooks Huntsville office. The Congressman's local staff gave us an overview of how the federal government operates and took questions from the students. Touching on a number of topics currently in the news, including recent revelations about the surveillance activities of the NSA and the rolling out of Obamacare, we had a very tought provoking discussion. Next, we traveled to city hall and had a brief meeting with Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and had an opportunity to get a group picture with the Mayor. Finally, we attended a Huntsville City Council meeting at which the president of the City Council presented each of the students with official certificates signed by the Mayor and each of the Council members.
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| Congressman staffers answer student question |
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| Mayor Battle (center) and Councilman Showers (left) pose with students |
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| Mayor has a discussion with the students |
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| Students wait for City Council meeting to be called to order |
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| Each student was presented with an official certificate |
