My favorite part of the week was....

My favorite part of the trip was...

the Changing of the Guards. (Will)

the Holocaust Museum. (Taylor)

the Potomac River night cruise. (Alena)

the Changing of the Guards. (Victoria)

the Washington Monument. (Chase)

the Holocaust Museum and the food. (McCormick)

the cruise. (Tristan)

the Holocaust Museum. (Hector)

the Washington Monument. (Eisen)

the top of the Washington Monument. (Seth C.)

the flight to Washington, D.C. (Gage)

the Vietnam Memorial. (Gabe)

the Vietnam Memorial and the Albert Einstein Monument. (Samantha)

the Washington Monument. (Cecilia)

the American History Smithsonian Museum. (Chandler)

visiting David Wisniewski in Arlington Cemetery. (Landi)

the Washington Monument. (Sean)

the Lincoln Memorial and the squirrels. (Layne)

the river night cruise. (Taven)

the cruise. (Bailey)

the Holocaust Museum and the bus rides. (Seth G.)

the Smithsonian Museums. (Skyler)

our tour guide, George. (Guy)

Gettysburg. (Rene)

seeing the Lincoln Memorial at night. (Michele Billington)

Daniel's Story at the Holocaust Museum. (Jimmy Cisler)

the remembrance area at the Holocaust Museum. (Bea Cisler)

the Holocaust Museum. (Jenna)

visiting Gettysburg. (Terry)

the Holocaust Museum and the wreath laying at Arlington. (Shawna Henry)

the Holocaust Museum. (Destiny Smith)

the Changing of the Guards at Arlington. (Beth Kosman)

watching the students try and experience new things. (Mrs. Kedley)

watching the kids have new experiences and Arlington Cemetery. (Mr. Beener)

watching student leaders become world travelers and participating and representing our community in the wreath laying at Arlington Cemetery. I also sincerely enjoyed the view from the top of the Washington Monument. (Mayor Kedley)

the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. Seeing students share their leadership abilities, experience this opportunity and learn new things was rewarding. (Mr. Sogard)

Friday, July 15

Today was spent at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We had a two-hour bus ride tour around the battlefield. We began at the soldier cemetery where Bailey and Landi recited the Gettysburg Address close to where Lincoln gave his speech.  We then went around to the various sites of the multiple days of battle. We finished in the visitor's center and watched a 30 minute video about the Gettysburg. It was followed by a light show on a 360 degree painting of the third day of battle. 

Make sure you check out the students' posts in the entry before this. 

Friday, July 15--Students' Posts

Friday,July 15

I had a great time in Washington D.C. . My favorite place to go was the boat cruise it was so fun. This trip was one of my favorite trip i ever went on.

                                          Taylor Henry

I have a good time in Washington D.C. This week was the bomb. We have had a lot of fun. We played hide&seek in our rooms. And the food was good. 

   -Gabe Hatcher

    In D.C it seemed like the area was just overflowing with monuments, politicians, and people, and the only reason I say politicians AND people is because can we really prove all politicians are actually people and not the villain in a disney movie. however by looking around the city I chose not to study documents but rather people. The people are great, I smile they smile back, I say hi they greet me ten times better. I don't just love the city but the people as well and I feel there should be monuments everywhere in the peoples name, because what is a country if not for the land of its people and in that case this is a land of free and brave alike

                                          -Taven Floyd

the food is really good i had a really good time and had a bunch of fun every day and to top it off our tour guide George was very energetic and really knew his stuff and he was fun to have around for the whole time.

                                        -Seth G

i liked the pizza at bugsies.

                                     -Chandler

My favorite part was getting to watch the changing of the guard.

                                      - will smith 

Yesterday we went to a bunch of Memorials and my phone actually worked for pictures this time. We saw the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, the Holocaust, and again the Obelisk. I ended up taking over about four dozen pictures too. I can't believe that this trip is almost over  as we leave later today for back home in Iowa after we go to Gettysburg. I don't want to go home yet, I'm having fun.

This trip made lots of memories that I will be glad to look upon and I have the pictures to prove it, along with the thousand souvenirs I bought from gift shops. Most of the souvenirs were for my family, mostly my Mom and Dad because without their help and my Mom going to work at Pizza Hut to earn enough money for my trip. This place is a serious tourist trap for as much as I've spent here in DC. 

My Favorite part of Thursday was when we went to the Smithsonian and roamed anywhere like seeing the bones of dinosaurs and any of the three floors they have, until we had to meet at the Tyrannosaurus Rex up front. Bailey and Jenna had bought socks from the Smithsonian gift shop and and I got a souvenir penny that you crank. The Trip was so much fun, but I wish we could've toured the white house, met the President, or even Donald Trump.

                      -Skyler Fluckey

I got JFK socks, I am satisfied.

      ~Jenna 

We ran up the Lincoln Memorial towards the spot of many great speeches like MLK's I have a dream. We also got to go and see my possible grandpa's cousin and we got a picture of his name to show to my family. I even got to sit on the large Albert Einstein Memorial.

                                                                                              -Seth Cisler

I got to meet and got a selfie with Miss Puerto Rico.

                                                      -Chase Kirkpatrick

   Gettysburg was so incredible! You don't realize how large the battlefield is until you're actually there. The main path was being worked on so we had to do the tour backwards. The cool part was the realization that you were standing where soldiers were fighting and dying. There was a tower there that we got to go up and look across the battlefield. The best part was the view that you got at the top. The worst part was the stairs. Don't say anything, but I took a small rock as a souvenir (wink). We went back to the visitors center and we got to see a quick film about Gettysburg and then after it was over, they had a place up top where the largest oil painting in the country was there with a scene of the Battle of Gettysburg. The painting stretched around the entire room. It was very detailed and well painted. I tried to walk around the entire room to try and see the whole picture. Lunch was delicious. We got to eat at a buffet and the food tasted great. The funny part about coming to Gettysburg was that I fell asleep in the city part of Virginia and woke up in the farm side of Pennsylvania and I thought I was back in Iowa. This was such and amazing I would definitely come back again as a chaperone. I'm so glad I took the time and save up for this trip. I recommend that when this trip comes back again in about two years, that if anyone has children around the time they are in middle school, to see if they would like to come on this trip because it is worth it. 

                                                                             ~Alena Allen :D

Thursday, July 14

Thursday, July 14 

         

   Memorial after memorial. We went to so many today, even if we only spent a short time at some. My favorite of all of them had to be the Lincoln Memorial, one of the well known memorials in all of DC. The view from the top was breath taking. Seeing the Washington Monument over the reflecting pool was something I could just sit and look at all day. During this whole trip, I'd try to imagine what it was like for the people of the past would have looked like walking around, like George Washington and Martha at their home. I tried to imagine what Martin Luther King Jr. would have seen while he was giving his speech. After that, I went inside and I heard a woman singing the Star Spangled Banner. I quickly took a selfie with my buddy Abe Lincoln. Before the Lincoln Memorial, we went to the Korean and Vietnam Memorials. The statues at the Korean Memorial were amazing and well made. Seeing the Vietnam Memorial was awesome. Hearing our tour leader tell the stories of how people didn't like it, made me appreciate the memorial much more because I realized how perfect it was. I've really enjoyed this trip and I'm glad I put in the hard work to raise up for it. I'll never forget visiting DC. 

                                                                          ~Alena Allen

Today we went to many many different memorials, my favorite memorials were the Lincoln memorial and the Einstein memorial, i liked a bunch of other things we went to today as well. Cecilia got a hat for me which is very nice and i thank her for that. Everything we have gone to on this trip has been so educational has helped me learn a little about my history i didn't already know. I have bought some surprise gifts for my mom and dad, but i am still looking for somthing for my aunt and uncle. I have also made many new friends on this trip. For dinner, Cecilia,Gage(Wesley), and I had Bacon Cheeseburgers, Fries, and a cookie. At the end of the day, everyone said bye to George(Our tour guide). IN my Opinion he was the best tour guide ever. Thank you George, and everyone else who helped on this trip, it was the best one ever and i had fun all week.

                              -Samantha Le Guerrier

We started our morning by visiting some memorials. We began at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial...

Then we headed to the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial...

and finished with the Jefferson Memorial. 

Next we went to the Holocaust Museum. It was incredibly moving, surreal, and emotional. Many students (and adults) were touched by this. You'll have to ask your child about it!

After lunch we visited two Smithsonian Museums. We started at the American History Museum and then went to the Natural History Museum.  Below is Rene becoming an "early human" and Mr. Kedley as an "early human".

Then we went to the National Archives to see the real Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. 

Dinner was at the Hard Rock Cafe tonight. 

After dinner we headed to the Korean Memorial...

Vietnam Memorial...

Lincoln Memorial...

  

 and the Albert Einstein Monument. The kids had fun climbing on Albert Einstein and rubbing his nose for good luck. 

The kids have had a great time. It's amazing to see how much they've learned. Check back for more kids' posts tomorrow--they had to pack tonight so we didn't get as many posts done!