News Home

Contact: (202) 225-2071

A Wilkes County civics and economics teacher completed Congresswoman Virginia Foxx’s week-long Teacher in Congress program on Friday, July 15.  Dan Prouty, who teaches at East Wilkes High School, is the first teacher from Wilkes County to complete this teacher continuing education program run by Foxx’s office.

“Mr. Prouty demonstrated a real enthusiasm for understanding the in’s and out’s of Congress and the federal government and it was a real pleasure to have him with me in Washington for the week,” Foxx said. “When school starts in the fall his students at East Wilkes will no doubt enjoy a first-hand account from the trenches of how Congress works.” 

Foxx and Dan Prouty in Foxx's Washington office.

The annual Teacher in Congress program allows one Fifth Congressional District school teacher to travel to Washington, D.C. for a week of intensive learning and curriculum development activities during the summer school break.

Foxx created the program in 2007 to offer teachers a taste of the real workings of Congress and the federal government while experiencing the day-to-day life of a congressional Representative.  By supplying teachers with hands-on opportunities, the program helps local schools enhance their civics and history curriculum.

“Getting to see your representative at work in the Capitol is far superior to reading about it in a text book,” Prouty said. “And spending the week in Washington doing research while trying to keep up with Congresswoman Foxx made for some vivid experiences that I’m eager to share with my students.”

During the past week Prouty attended Rules Committee hearings, Education Committee legislative markups and votes on the House floor. He also toured the White House and other Washington landmarks and accompanied Foxx during much of her daily schedule.  Additionally, his schedule included research time at the Library of Congress and National Archives and briefings with House and Senate staff. 

Prouty is in his second year of teaching at East Wilkes and plans to integrate his Washington experiences into his civics coursework and into the annual East Wilkes sophomore trip to Washington, DC that he helps lead.  Prouty is a 2009 graduate of Appalachian State University and a graduate of North Wilkes High School.  He currently lives in North Wilkesboro.