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South Range student to visit Washington D.C., Gettysburg on trip
By ROBERT CONNELLY
NORTH LIMA
Jack Bajerski is headed to Gettysburg, Pa., and Washington, D.C., after winning a contest through the Ohio American Legion. He was the only winner in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
The contest, the Americanism and Government Test Program, is a 50-question test — a variety of true/false questions, multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank — and a 300-word essay. It can be taken by high-school sophomores, juniors and seniors.
The Ohio American Legion is a joint partnership with the Ohio American Legion Auxiliary and began in 1936. The trip costs about $25,000 for three people, male and female, selected from each grade level, said Gerald A. White, director of Americanism and Youth Activities with the Ohio American Legion.
“We consider this a reward, not an award. This is not something we’re giving you, this is something you’ve earned by participating in this program,” White told Bajerski, 16, a sophomore at South Range, during a recent visit.
White also explained that there were a little under 58,000 test takers this past November, then there are 14 district winners, as designated by the Ohio American Legion. There are nine counties in the district in which Bajerski won. Then, from the 14 district winners for each grade, the final six boys and girls are selected.
White traveled to South Range High School recently to notify Bajerski in person that he had won and to explain the five-day, all-expenses-paid trip. The 18 students will travel by charter bus and visit Washington, D.C., first and then Gettysburg on the way back to Ohio. The trip is set for March 2-7. A highlight is the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
“When we go to Arlington National Cemetery that’s not a tourist spot to us — That’s hallowed ground,” White said.
“The wreath-laying is, I think, going to be extremely special,” Bajerski said. He added that visiting “Quanitco is just really cool. I’ve always been into military and watching the History Channel; to see a Marine pilot that flies the president is really cool.”
Quantico, Va., is home of a Marine Corps base. Past groups have gotten to meet the pilots who fly for the president. White emphasized that every trip is different, and the trip has evolved over time. Another highlight of the trip for Bajerski will be a visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the country’s capital.
Bajerski’s parents, Dan and Kathleen Bajerski, were eager to hear from White on the details of the trip, including a meet-and-greet with the other winners in Columbus the night before the trip starts.
“We’re proud parents, and to have some of this come about for Jack — he’s very self motivated and driven,” said Dan Bajerski. “We’re probably more proud of the kind of person he is than some of these accomplishments.”
Kathleen Bajerski echoed her husband. “Jack is just a well-rounded, good kid,” she said. “He’s just a great kid with a great heart.”