St. Pius Students Visit Capital, Alumni In Government

Published: November 27, 2003

ATLANTA—Twenty-eight St. Pius X High School students traveled to Washington, D.C., Nov. 1-4 for an educational field trip in conjunction with their advanced placement government and Holocaust classes. The group visited the Holocaust Museum and took special tours led by St. Pius alumni currently working in the White House offices and the State Department.

Dennis Ruggiero, a theology teacher at St. Pius, co-developed the curricula for the Holocaust class several years ago. The course, taught as a senior elective, covers the origins of anti-Semitism before the beginning of Christianity and traces the events leading up to the Jewish Holocaust.

“Going to the museum brings it all together for the students,” he said. “It allows them to deepen their understanding of the horrors of genocide.”

The group attended Mass on All Souls Day at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of Catholic University. On Nov. 3 the students visited the White House and State Department.

At the White House, a 1994 St. Pius graduate, Paul Skoczylas, spoke to the students in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Office Building. Skoczylas is on the Domestic Policy Council and works on formulating strategies for current domestic issues. He is particularly involved with discovering ways to better utilize federal resources for the homeless.

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, a 1963 St. Pius graduate, hosted the group on Nov. 4 and briefed the students on his schedule and activities of Secretary of State Colin Powell and answered questions from the students on a wide range of issues. Senior Amanda Hiffa asked Deputy Secretary Armitage if the falling approval ratings of President Bush would have an effect on Iraq policy. He explained the situation and also responded to Katherine Smith’s question about the goals and purpose of the State Department. The group visited Secretary Powell’s office and the State Department pressroom.