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Jun 8, 2006

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HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS SMARTER THAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS?
By Jeff Dufour
The Hill, DC

Do you know at which phase of mitosis the chromosomes line up? How about what happens to litmus paper in the presence of a strong base? Or which cities have hosted U.S. Capitol buildings?

A bunch of high school students - former dropouts, actually - on the Hill yesterday knew the answers. They came to town from 12 states as part of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a voluntary intervention program in 30 states for dropouts looking for a second chance.

After hearing from Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), more than 50 kids, divided into teams of four, competed in a quiz bowl across several categories that had many adults shaking their heads.

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