A ceremony was held last week to celebrate the latest graduates of the Dawson County Citizens Academy.

Nearly two-dozen local residents signed up for the course, which was taught by Dawson County Government staff and gave participants an up-close look at the inner workings of county government.

Brad Hansard said he took the 10-week course to learn more about his local government.

"... and possibly to have a future, maybe, in local government," he said. "Government is not what people think it is. Dawson County is a better county to live in than what a lot of people might think. We're farther ahead of the curve."

Through one-on-one interaction with local officials and those responsible for day-to-day operations of government, the classes introduce participants with a working knowledge of local government.

"I gained a lot more knowledge about how to go about things properly and how to achieve things in the county," Hansard said.

He's encouraging others to get involved.

"I've already been encouraging my friends and family to take the course the next time around," he said.