Could you pass a citizenship test?
The community is invited to join us for a potluck on Saturday, July 11th at 12:30 PM in the Johanna Room at Spirit Center to celebrate America250! Spirit Center will provide the meat, lemonade, and paper products. Please bring a favorite side dish or dessert to share and RSVP to bschumacher2stgertrudes.org or 208-962-5056 so we know how much meat is needed.
Afterward, all attendees are invited to be our guests at the museum for a special viewing of the America250 exhibit.  At one of the exhibits, visitors are challenged to test their knowledge of the United States.
An artist-created interpretation of the American flag was imagined by museum tech, Julie Bethman. Embedded within the stripes of the flag are 15 questions drawn directly from the official U.S. immigration and citizenship practice test site. Each question appears on the front of a small door; when visitors open the door, the correct answer is revealed underneath.
Mounted on a blue wall, the white stars of the flag carry the rules of the challenge. One star notes that the questions come from the citizenship test, while another explains the standard for passing: Sixty percent or nine correct answers, just like the real exam. Another star reveals that 97 of the 230 sisters at St. Gertrude’s Monastery were immigrants.
Although the citizenship test is only one small part of the immigration process, this interactive exhibit encourages curiosity and conversation as the country marks its 250th anniversary.