Day 3!

Day three was full of various sightseeing opportunities.  At 7:45am, we left our hotels to take photos by the White House.

 

Our next stop was the Newseum, an impressive multimedia attraction, celebrating journalism of past and present.  Students were treated to a “4-D” movie presentation (the fourth dimension being special effects such as wind and moving seats).  The fourteen-minute film opened with a scene portraying the Battle of Lexington and Concord, which of course resulted in a big cheer from our group!  We also learned the story of Nellie Bly, the first investigative journalist, who feigned mental illness to report on oppressive conditions in a New York asylum. 

 

Another highlight at the Newseum was the September 11^th exhibit, from a journalistic perspective.  Brave reporters on the scene at ground zero recounted their fascinating stories on a video presentation, while a lofty wall display showcased hundreds of newspapers from around the world.  It was interesting to compare headlines from city to city and country to country. 

 

Speaking of headlines, even the restrooms in the Newseum were entertaining!  As part of the exhibit, headlines “gone wrong” were scattered across the bathroom walls.  Among our favorites that were actually published included: “Panda lectures at zoo next week,” and “Actor jailed for not finishing sentence.”

 

Afterwards, we headed to the National Mall, where student groups had time to explore several museums.  Some favorites of the afternoon include the flight simulator at the Air and Space Museum, the Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum, and “Thanks for the Memories,” an exhibit on American pop culture, including Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.  In the American History Museum, “Flag Hall” displayed the flag that was the inspiration for the “Star Spangled Banner.”

 

For supper, the students were treated to a pizza, pasta, and salad buffet at Magill’s restaurant in Virginia.  To finish the meal, many students could not resist the “make your own” ice cream sundaes.  Some even took advantage of the game room and t-shirt stand!

 

Our final stop for the evening included a ghost tour of “Old Town” Alexandria, Virginia.  Accompanied by tour guides dressed in authentic attire, the students walked the quaint neighborhood, hearing haunted history tales.

 

Tomorrow we plan to check out, do some sightseeing, and make our way back to home sweet Lexington!  Thanks for following us along on this adventure!  We look forward to seeing you all back at Clarke tomorrow night.

 

Signing out,

The D.C. chaperones J

Day 2!

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

Day 1!

Hello from our nation’s capital! 

What a day!  Despite the long commute, our caravan of five buses made it safely down to Washington, D.C., with smiling faces (and sanitized hands!) upon arrival.  Our group stopped for dinner, sightseeing, and some shopping in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  The waterfront views and modern city layout afforded a perfect backdrop for dinner, even as the muggy weather was replaced by light thunderstorms rolling across the harbor.  Dinner was students’ choice, and some Clarkies had their first taste of “Five Guys”, the recent burger takeout choice of President Obama!

From Baltimore, we headed on towards D.C., and as the rain subsided, we caught glimpses of the Washington Monument, Capitol Building, and Lincoln Memorial.  All five buses then filed out to take pictures at the Jefferson Memorial as the sun set over the Potomac.

We are finally settled into our respective hotels, ready to gear up for another full day.    We’re impressed and proud of how our students are representing themselves and the Clarke community thus far.  Stay tuned! 

Yours,

The D.C. chaperones

 

            We have had successful meetings with the chaperones and students this week.  Everyone is extremely excited and ready to go!  A couple of quick reminders:  Students must be at Clarke Middle School at 5:30am on June 9^th.  The busses will be rolling out at 5:45am.  Students should pack appropriate clothing for the four-day trip.  Please no junk food, candy, soda, or energy drinks.  Students are allowed to bring an ipod with headphones for the bus, however no laptop computers.  Students will need between $75 and $100 for the DC trip.  When you drop off your student on Tuesday morning, please park in the lower parking lot by the tennis courts.

            We are all looking forward to a wonderful trip. Make sure to check back to the blog for daily updates and pictures!  Thank you for being part of a new Clarke Middle School tradition!

 

Dr. Flynn