We had an early morning today with breakfast shifts starting at 6am! Students were treated to eggs, sausage, juice, cereal, and toast. Once breakfast was done, we traveled to Arlington National Cemetery. Students traveled through the cemetery viewing the gravesites of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The group was able to witness the solemn ceremony of the changing of the guards. Did you know that the guards go through 4 months of training and take a 300-question test in order to have the honor of guarding the tomb of the Unknown Soldier? There is a guard at the tomb every hour of every day, rain or shine, hot weather or cold. They walk 21 steps in front of the tomb, pause for 21 seconds, and then walk 21 steps in the opposite direction! All students were very respectful during this ceremony in the hot, humid DC weather.
The tour also brought us to the Iwo Jima Memorial and the World War II Memorial. The World War II Memorial is one of the more recent memorials constructed. It features two large pillars inscribed, “Atlantic” and “Pacific” to commemorate all of the nations in-between the two large oceans who participated in World War II. Students had many photo opportunities at these memorials. We had lunch at the very popular Union Station, followed by a group photo taken in front of the Capitol. Our afternoon schedule was changed due to the incident at the Holocaust Museum. All of our students and chaperones are safe and doing well. In the afternoon, the tours included the National Cathedral and Embassy Row.
We were able to stop back at the hotels for a quick break before the Nationals baseball game. It was a perfect night to catch a ball game, and our students all cheered loudly when Jonas Clarke Middle School was welcomed on the jumbotron! Our tour guides even taught us about the origin of the seventh inning stretch. President Taft attended a baseball game where he threw out the first pitch, and when he decided that he needed to go back to the White House and get some work done, he stood up to leave. The rest of the fans stood as well; the consensus was that it felt good to get a stretch in, and the tradition stuck! It was a lot of fun to compare the nation’s first environmentally green ballpark to our own beloved Fenway!
We are looking forward to a fun filled, packed with excitement day tomorrow! We will be spending some time at the Smithsonian Museums and the Newseum!
Yours,
The D.C. Chaperones
