-The Ledger.com

Fifteen high school students from Hillsborough and Polk counties traveled to Washington as part of Rep. Dennis Ross' Congressional Classroom program. The program is a partnership between the congressman and the Randy Roberts Foundation, a Lakeland-based non-profit that cultivates future Florida leaders by providing public service initiatives, civic engagement opportunities and scholarships. The students were chosen by their respective high schools and were treated to five days in our nation's capital, where they met with lawmakers, visited the White House, the FBI Academy at Quantico, the Library of Congress and sat in on a session of the U.S. House of Representatives. As part of the trip, the students kept journals and took photos to upload to their blog, located on the Randy Roberts Foundation Web site. The following Polk County and Plant City students participated in Congressional Classroom: Ryan Phillips, Kathleen High School; Mackenzie Nettlaw, Winter Haven; Sarah Escue, Haven Christian; Kent Humphrey, Plant City; Miranda Vileikis, Chain of Lakes Collegiate; Ellen Foley, Bartow; Cassondra Angu, Harrison School of the Arts; Daegan Hosler, McKeel Academy; Guillermo Prichard, International Baccalaureate; Emily Nabong, Lake Region; Thomas Hartsfield, Summerlin Academy; Kyle Lindemann, Mulberry; Nancy Jaimes, Fort Meade; Pierce Gillette, Lakeland; and April Jones, Frostproof.