8th Grade Trip: Washington, DC

It feels like forever ago when Kim mentioned that I should accompany the 8th grade to Washington, DC. Yet before I knew it, we were on our way! Two and half years ago I was the girl who never wanted to teach Middle School and now I willingly travel out of state with 17 of them for five days of touring and fun. God is so good!

We stayed in Arlington, VA and traveled to and from the city by Metro. Each chaperone (there were 4 of us) was assigned 4-5 kids that we were in charge of throughout the trip. We flew into DC on Thursday morning, May 1 and stayed until Monday evening, May 5. We were also given the day off on Tuesday to recover (THANK YOU, CCA!). Here are a few highlights...

* Touring the White House (pictured below) ... It's truly beautiful! Just thinking about the people from history that have sat in those rooms is awesome. The tour is self-guided, but the Secret Service posted in each room are very willing to talk to you and we found them to be quite knowledgeable!

 Kim is our Middle School team leader and my best buddy at work. She took care of me when I first arrived and we've found a wonderful friendship. She did a great job of putting this trip together and making sure it ran smoothly. I'm so thankful for her!


* Newseum. A museum of news and journalism. We learned about the photographers and writers who capture history in the making. There was so much to see and do here - pictures, videos, etc. Our students had the chance to be news reporters, to think through the ethics of journalism, to see hundreds of pictures and videos, etc. This is a "must see" on my list!

 

 The picture above and on the left is of the four chaperones. Kim, Tim, Andrew, and I made a great team. I enjoyed getting to know each of them a little better! The picture to its right is of our whole group (minus myself because I was taking picture) sitting in a box at the Washington Nationals ballpark with our personal tour guide, Bob (man on the top left, wearing a white shirt). This particular box is where the news reporters sit. The ballpark was another highlight of our trip - such a fun place!

* Ford's Theater ... The theater was also one of my favorite places. We saw a one act play that described the night Lincoln was assassinated from the point of view of the theater's owners and the actors performing that night.

It is impossible to detail all of the many highlights from this trip. I've left out the Botanical Garden, the memorials, Arlington National cemetery, the Capitol, etc. We packed a lot into a short time! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to go on this trip and the memories I brought home. Many thanks to Kim for planning and leading our trip, to our students for being so well behaved, and to God for providing energy and beautiful weather for us!