Students from six area high schools had the opportunity Thursday to see firsthand how Carbon County operates during the county’s annual Government Day.

Students from Marian, Palmerton, Jim Thorpe, Weatherly, Panther Valley and Carbon Career & Technical Institute high schools spent a day observing officials doing what they do best: run the county.

Students visited the Carbon County Courthouse and Courthouse Annex in Jim Thorpe and the county Emergency Management Agency and 911 Communications Center in Nesquehoning.

They talked with various county officials, including various court administration, Sheriff Tony Harvilla; Ronald Sheehan, county treasurer; and Richmond Parsons, chief adult probation officer, to learn what goes into operating each department to make sure the county runs smoothly.

At the weekly Carbon County Commissioners’ meeting, officials explained to students about different decisions and how the county operates some programs.

Specifically, the board went into detail about the re-entry program at the Carbon County Correctional Facility.

The board voted 2-0 to ratify three community-based organization memorandum of understanding agreements with Pathstone of Scranton for the creation and provision of a program called “Transition to Tomorrow” which focuses on inmates who have been deemed medium and high risk for recidivism who are incarcerated at the county prison.

Parsons discussed what the re-entry program is all about and how it can help both the county cut down on the number of repeat offenders at the prison, as well as the inmates themselves.

The board then turned the spotlight on the students and encouraged them to ask any questions to help better their understanding of how the county operates.

Questions included the best and worst part of being a commissioner, what qualifications are needed to hold that office, the retirement fund, reasons for the high population at the prison and the challenges the county faces.

The students then traveled to the Emergency Management Agency, where they were treated to lunch and more discussions from various officials on county government infrastructure.

Carbon County Government Day was the idea of former Commissioner Charles Getz, based on a similar event he ran while he served as a Kidder Township supervisor.

The first county Government Day was held on April 26, 2001.