SALT LAKE CITY -- Almost 500 students from the Top of Utah toured the Capitol on Wednesday to watch lawmaking in action.
Syracuse High School, Sunset Junior High and Morgan Elementary make the Capitol tour a yearly event, teachers from each school said.
Sunset Junior High School transported all of its eighth-graders -- almost 200 of them -- to watch Utah's government at work.
Sunset Junior High history teacher Jennifer Baker said her students look forward to meeting with their representatives, including Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clinton, who is also the school's girls basketball coach.
And her group stood in awe looking up at the painted dome, 165 feet high, in the Rotunda, amazed that the painted seagulls at the top had 6-foot wing spans.
"I'm fascinated with the marble work and the craftsmanship that went into all the details," said eighth-grader J.D. Stout.
The three schools are part of 130 groups -- totaling about about 30,000 students -- scheduled to visit this session, said Joanna Hudson, director of visitor services with the Capitol Preservation Board.
After the session is complete, another 20,000 students are scheduled to visit the Capitol during the spring.
"Everyone is amazed by the intricate details of the ornate Gold Room," Hudson said.
Morgan Elementary fourth-grade teacher Gaylene Adams said her students were "enthralled by the Gold Room, and that's where we met first lady (Jeannette Herbert)."
But her students also wanted to know about the security cameras and the murals on the walls in the Rotunda.
The murals, depicting scenes from Utah's history, provide a "wow" moment for many visitors, Hudson said.
For one Syracuse High School teacher, visiting the Capitol brought back memories of the 17 years he served as a senator representing the northern part of Davis County.
Former Sen. David Steele, R-West Point, is now a math teacher at the high school. He took a personal day of leave to take the tour with the high school government and Advanced Placement students, and explained:
"I just like to see the enthusiasm the kids sense and feel when bills are being discussed."
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