The Last Day Day and Beyond

Here we are back at school looking back on the last day of the trip. Our first stop was the Spy Museum, we all enjoyed it. Next we went to the Library of Congress. The building was incredible. The reading room was our favorite. After the Library of Congress we walked by the Supreme Court Building and saw people expressing their freedom of speech in very interesting ways. The Union Station was next where we ate and Jacob resisted his strong temptation to buy more patches. After lunch we walked by the Japanese Relocation Camp and then split our group in two. One half went to the Natural History Museum, which did not disappoint. The other half went to the Art Museum which also incredible. After we rejoined we went back to our hotel to pack up and head to the airport. On our way to the airport the "fun man van" went the wrong way, yet still beat the rest. This wraps up our DC trip. Many said this was the best trip ever and we know next years class will enjoy it also

Today was a very long day filled with many exciting adventures. It started off with us walking by the White House and then going to to Ford's Theater, the place where president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  They had an interesting museum about Lincoln there and we got to see a really cool play called "One Destiny" which was about the night Lincoln was assassinated. After that we went to eat at the old post office and we got to go on the tower to get a great view of the city.  The next thing we did was go to the American History Museum where we were able to see multiple objects relating to the history of our country such as; the ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, a counter from a Sit-in during the Civil Rights movements, and many other things.  The last museum we went to was the Holocaust Museum.  It was probably the most emotional museum for many students and even faculty.  At the beginning of the museum we were all given an id card that told the story of a random holocaust victim and as we went through out the museum more was revealed about what happened to that person and about the terrors of the holocaust. One of the biggest moments in that museum was when we went by a huge pile of shoes, all belonging to holocaust victims.  The shoes were somehow able to show how real the holocaust was and solidify everything in your mind.  Our day ended with dinner at Magiono's (I can not spell the name.) It was a really awesome all you can eat Italian restaurant and it was super cool because Imani was able to join us for dinner.  That's about it.  I am tired. Good night.

The White house

 Ford's Theater

 Us in Ford's Theater

 Counter from a Sit-in in the American History Museum

 Scarecrow's hat from Wizard of Oz in American History Museum

Ali and Imani in front of Magiano's.

 

 Today we took a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It was really interesting to see how they make money and to learn the different ways they try and prevent counterfeiting. There were stacks of money worth 64,000,000 dollars just chilling in the building.

  

The poster in the back measures one's height and it shows the value of the same height in stacks of $100 bills.

  

 This is the picture of the inside of the rotunda in the Capitol Building. There was artwork everywhere depicting major historical events.

 

 This is a view of the Lincoln Memorial. It was a beautiful building to see and it was awesome to read the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. When we walked around to the back we were also able to see the Arlington Cemetery including the entrance to the cemetery and Arlington House.

 This is the view of the inside of the Lincoln Memorial. It was very packed with other visitors.We were inspired.

Today started off with an exciting trip to Mt. Vernon. The weather was perfect! While we were there we went on a tour of the mansion, saw many of Washington's inventions, visited the Washington tomb, and much more. 

After we departed, we went to the Air and Space museum. We saw many historical artifacts and were often in awe of the Majestic presence of the space equipment. We also enjoyed pretending to Be scientists and astronomers while exploring.

 Then, we visited many national monuments, including, the MLK Jr., FDR, WWI, and WWII. We were torn over which was the overall favorite because they were all so different; however, there was something to be enjoyed at each one. (Finding Kilroy at the WWII monument was one of the favorite events of the day.)
We look forward to telling you more about our adventures tomorrow! Thanks for following our trip! -Juniors

The Junior class @ The National Arboretum with the beautiful, pink flowers in full bloom!

Another quick shot of us @ the giant pillars from the original Capital Building in D.C.

We were bestowed the honor of being the first class to visit the 9/11 Pentagon memorial.

A last quick shot of almost all the class in front of General Robert E. Lee's mansion's incredible view of D.C. Sabbath at the Arboretum was a blessing. The remnants of the Choraliers sang a few songs, and Mr.Anderson gave a talk about loving one another. As we continued throughout the day, this thought stuck with me at the Pentagon Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. The sermon was on 2 John, and as I observed the changing of the guard it made me think. If we were all taking the words of God seriously we wouldn't have to have a tomb to the unknown soldiers, or any for that matter. What our soldiers have done for our country is a valiant thing. War may have shaped the face of human history, but it was never God's original plan. I think you understand my point. The class is having a good time and it is so cool to be in D.C. We are looking forward to Mt. Vernon tomorrrow!

Independence Hall!

Here we are admiring the birthplace of our country.

Let freedom ring! The day was full of adventure, loss, and wonder! We are currently in our final hotel the Courtyard Marriott. This morning we left Philly and headed to DC! And in the heat of trying to get off of the metro Mrs. Zackrison was stuck on there and had to parade around the metro stations to get back.

From Red Eye to Gettysburg and Beyond!

After an all night flight we were rewarded by breakfast at Cracker Barrel. After breakfast we drove to Gettysburg and saw

a painting that was 40 feet high and 300 plus feet long. We then went out to the battlefield were Satchel, Caleb, David, and Jeremy attempted to recreate Pickett's Charge. After that we went to the Gettysburg cemetery we attempted to recite Lincoln's address but our efforts left much to be desired (we blame that on the tiredness :) ) After that it was a several hour drive to King of Prussia a suburb of Philadelphia were our Motel is located and enjoyed supper at the food court in the King of Prussia Mall.

Looking Forward

Juniors are looking forward to the following: Nikki - MLK Monument & the Spy Museum Caleb - Philadelphia and the Holocaust Museum Alek - Air and Space Museum Bailey - Spy Museum Satchel - Gettysburg Ali - Smithsonian Museums Jacob - American History Museum and National Archives David - National Arboretum Jeremy - Holocaust Museum Daulton - Spy Museum Lexie - Holocaust Museum

Check back for updates on the Junior Class trip to Washington D C. The trip begins in 12 days.