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8th Gr. Travels to Washington DC

May 25, 2017

My favorite thing we did today was the ghost tour, I thought it was a really cool way to learn more about the city of Alexandria VA and also was a really fun break in the hectic day when we could have even more fun listening to old ghost stories and testing e supernatural barrier.  I thought it was a great addition into the trip and was one of my top three things we did over the trip.  -Katharine

My favorite thing we did was visiting the Lincoln Memorial.  The weather was a bit difficult, but worth the time to see such an extraordinary monument.  -Kelsie

We went to see the Natural History Museum today.  It was so fun and amazing to see the history of not only what I was interested in but what my group mates were interested in.  I love new information without stress.  I like to soak it up like a sponge and museums are a great place to do that!  I love DC so far!  -Katie

We went to the Korean War Memorial today. We saw the 19 soldiers there because when counting the statues reflected in the mirror, there are 38, for the 38th Parallel. There was one Navy and one Air Force soldier each. The rest were marine and army.  -Tyler

Today we saw the Capitol building and met Paul Tonko.  At the Natural History Museum we saw gemstones, meteors, and even the Hope Diamond. - Alex

My favorite thing today was seeing the Washington Monument with the reflection pool in a nice view from the Lincoln Memorial. The weather wasn't the best, but it created beautiful scenery for the pictures I took outside.  -Katelyn

We traveled to the Lincoln Memorial, which was gigantic and awe inspiring. The Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address were inscribed on the wall, and they were very impressive. We also held a prayer service inside the memorial for the Holy Day of Obligation today.  -Sophia

We went to a "ghost tour" and were told a bunch of stories and shown a few tricks and then saw some roses.  -Ryan

We went to the U.S. Capitol and met Paul Tonko.  The Capitol was a beautiful building and I would love to go on that tour again - Greg

I came to realize that so much thought, love, and appreciation is put into all memorials. They have made sure that every detail is perfect. -Alexa

We went to the Lincoln memorial today and it was amazing to see the statue of Abraham Lincoln.  All the great people that have been there was cool feat also.  -Kira

We went on a ghost tour today and it was incredible. For example, a student put a B on a sugar cube stomped on it and a B appeared on their hand.  -Alex

May 24, 2017

Today we went to the World War II Memorial.  The Memorial displayed all of the states and countries that contributed to the war.  We also went to the Vietnam Memorial and saw all the people that had died in the war.  We saw things that show what the war did to people at home and on the field.  -Tyler

The National Art Gallery was absolutely beautiful.  We viewed an actual painting painted by Leonardo Da Vinci which was so very lovely. The way he had such technique made the picture so memorable and I feel so lucky that I got to experience that during our trip in Washington DC.  -Katelyn

Today we saw the Military Tattoo. The men and women of the military were so skilled and beautiful. They threw ACTUAL BAYONETS it was so cool. They fired blank guns and cannons. I loved the music and acting as well. The men and women dressed up as American soldiers from the past and present.  It was truly amazing!  -Sarah

Throughout the day today, we did a ton of amazing things but the military tattoo was by far my favorite.  Members of the US ARMY fired blank rounds from their firearms and fired cannons.  They even incorporated drill teams, music, and all of the major military combats.  It essentially was a 1st point view of our nation’s incredible military history.  -Katharine

Today we saw some beautiful and moving things. One of the best things we saw was the air and space still. It amazed and fascinated me on a level that made me want to do more with space. It was amazing to see what many brilliant minds can do together when they have a goal as limitless as the stars! -Katie

Today we went to the African American Museum of History and Culture. My favorite part was the sports section. They had all the great athletes, actors, comedians, and other famous African Americans.  It was a cool exhibit.

Being able to witness the DaVinci painting was crazy.  Already, I'd noticed how lucky the class is to be able to see such inspirational, well-known things through our bare eyes; an opportunity that very few people are privileged to experience.  -Kelsie

The art gallery's architect was every bit as beautiful as the inside. It was breathtaking and I will never forget what I saw. I'm so happy I was able to experience this.

Today we went to the African American History and Culture Museum.  I liked the waterfall they had on the last floor and the art and sports exhibits at the top.  -Kira

At the National Museum of African American History and Culture we learned about the culture and art that impacted America from African Americans.  My favorite part was seeing the original Jordan 1s from '85  -Owen

I loved the spy museum and all of the interactive experiences, because they were a very fun way to learn and review the Cold War. Plus, our aliases were a great challenge and tested our abilities as secret agents.  - Sophia

I liked the National Museum of African American History and Culture and I liked the sports exhibit the most.  In the sports exhibit, they had a football exhibit.  I loved seeing the helmet and images of Lawrence Taylor in that exhibit - Greg Kayayan

My favorite thing we saw today was the Vietnam memorial the sacrifice that the soldiers gave is extremely admirable and they deserve our respect. It was also nice to see the things left at the wall to show that people care about the soldiers. - Alex

It was interesting to see all the art and the DaVinci.  -Ryan

May 23, 2017

We went to the FDR memorial. I liked the fountains and the way they represented the state of the country during FDR’s time in office.  -Kira

FDR memorial was very inspirational during our time there. The FDR memorial showed the way America changed during the presidency of FDR. I was very inspired to make changes like FDR after seeing the changes during his time.  -Greg

The air and space museum was really cool it had a lot of old planes, space craft, and rockets.  -Ryan

At the Washington Monument we learned that they stopped constructing the building halfway through and they finished building at a later time, which is why the bricks are two different colors. The monument is exactly 5,555.5 feet tall.  -Tyler

The MLK memorial it depicts Martin Luther King as the rock of hope appearing from the mountain of disparity. Out of all the memorials this was my favorite because of the metaphor and the quotes engraved in marble.  -Owen

I was greatly saddened to see the holocaust museum. It is something that we will probably not forget. We also saw the White House.  It was great to see the place where many presidents have lived and many prominent politicians have visited.  -Alex A

In the holocaust museum, we went through a story called Daniel’s Story which combined many stories to show life as a Jew when Germany was under the ruling of the Nazis. I liked how the Holocaust was able to model some of the concentration camp, because it gave a small feel of what it was like.  -Katelyn

Today we went to the holocaust museum and witnessed Daniel’s Story, a walk through 3D experience about what children went through the during the Holocaust.  It made me feel very fortunate to have been born in the time I was, where I was.  It gave me a great humbling feeling after getting a better feel for what everyone went through.  -Katharine

View the 2017 DC Trip photo album on Facebook