Army Sergeant Visits Participation in Government Classes

Students in Huntington High School social studies teacher Deborah Mellon’s Participation in Government class were given a firsthand account  of what it’s like to serve in Afghanistan and Iraq during a visit by United States Army Staff Sergeant Owen B. Zechman.

SSG Zechman recently came to the high school to recruit one of Ms. Mellon’s students following the conclusion of afternoon classes. “As I was leaving the building, security guard Yolanda Carey introduced us,” the teacher said about the chance encounter with the military man. “I grabbed the opportunity to get ‘real military’ into my classroom.”

The staff sergeant’s visit to the Participation in Government classroom was timely since Ms. Mellon’s classes were deliberating over whether U.S. troops should be sent to Syria. “He discussed his unit, the people of Afghanistan and Iraq and the living conditions of our soldiers,” the veteran faculty member said. 

Huntington students were able to question the SSG Zechman without any restrictions. Some of the questions included: How dangerous was it? Did you fight the Taliban? How do you think history will view these wars? 

“The students were so inquisitive,” Ms. Mellon said.  SSG Zechman could have stayed for two more periods to give them all the information they wanted.  Many were happy to have the opportunity to express their gratitude for his service.”

Participation in Government focuses on the “formation of effective public policy,” according to a course description. “Students are taught skills of decision making and problem solving in the context of evaluating real issues confronting the communities in which the students live. Central to this course is the manner in which decisions are arrived through involvement of individuals as participating citizens. Another area studied is how citizen influence can be used in policymaking at various levels of government. Emphasis will be on real-world issues that are in line with content standards and course assessments.”

“SSG Zechman’s visit clearly reflected what the PIG course is all about,” Ms. Mellon said. “Students learn the current political issues from primary sources. All of them are looking forward to visits from representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties later this month.”