8th Grade Washington Trip 2013: 2013

Thursday, June 20, 2013

THANK YOU :)
Traveling to DC with the most amazing group of students was a great way to start off the summer :) Thank you for the following parents and teachers for helping with the journey:
Karen Alpher, Dorinda Anderson, Ginny Corliss, Deborah Davis, Michelle Devito, Anthony Frost, Kimberly Masterton, Andrea Reenders, Julie Wright, Joseph Barry, Ashlie Eslick, Jennifer Mesler, David Smallegan, Scott TenHagen, Gail Wilkins, and Shannon Woodwyk. You were all very attentive to the students and were all around "Super Chaperones!"

A huge thank you to Andrea Reenders for updating the blog every night. While I was meeting with the on site hotel coordinator going over the day, Andrea was busy writing up the posts on the blog and uploading the pictures. We had over 1600 views to our blog! so I know a lot of the parents/grandparents were following us daily. Thank you Andrea :)

We received so many compliments, from strangers/tour guides/security at the sites, concerning the behavior of our class. Your students really were top notch and soaked up the experience. Please do not hesitate to send them on another trip in the future. They were engaged and learning - and having fun too.

Thank you again for trusting us with your most valuable possession :)

Have a great summer.

.... And the Journey Continues......

Sue Ann

Saturday, June 15, 2013

My favorite experience in Washington D.C. was probably Arlington National Cemetary, and watching the changing of the gaurds. I have family who have served in the Air Force and Army, so it had a lot of meaning for me. I want to serve later on in my life. Sondra was even able to get a few people down in front, right where they went into the chained off section. I was so close, I could see their facial expressions. When they were finished, they literally walked right past me!

~Amanda Anderson

I had a great time on this trip the teachers really gave it there all to make us learn i would have liked more if we could have learned more about the civil war but other than that it was awesome.

Dominic Hentemann

omg!this trip was so amazing! the best part for me was seeing the natural history museum at the smithsonion. I love seeing all the prehistoric animals. Great ideas for my writing! i will never forget this trip. Like ever!
Holly Luytjes

I had an amazing time in whashington DC. I am very glad that I went. I enjoyed alll of the thing that we did and I wold not change a thing. -Alex Franczek

The trip to Washington D. C. was a grand adventure for all of us. The nations capitol was full of amazing architecture and great history. The Smithsonian Museum complex was one of my favorite places, especially the Natural History Museum. I also enjoyed seeeing all of the diverse and magnificent ways our country honored fallen soldiers and past Presidents in the many memorials. All in all, it was a great experience for all of us, and I, for one, will never forget it.
-Graham Reid

My trip to Washington DC was amazing. One of my favorite siteswas the Tomb on the Unknown Soldier. There was a funeral that day and while the guards were changing we heard a bugle playing Taps and a 21 gun salute. The casket was drawn by a pair or beautiful horses. This left an imprint on several of our students. I enjoyed seeing the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. We were surprised by JF Kennedy's grade on his report card for History. I saw a quilt at the Ford Theater that was signed by Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, and the poet Longfellow. Our Guide was very informative and I learned so much from her. The Library of Congress and the National Cathedral were breathtaking. We saw so much and learned so much. This was a great trip. We are tired but loved it. Thank you Mrs. Siebert for this great experience. Your hard work made it all possible.

Mrs Karen Alpher
8th grade Math Teacher

Reflections from Hailey Alpher -
well, this week we took a trip to D.C...As you all know. I think the most fun part was getting to know every 8th grader on my bus. I am going to be a junior in high school, and I still made great friends with most of the 8th class. I also really enjoyed the Holocaust museum, My Oma (grandma) was alive during that time and lived in the Netherlands. There was a class wall with the names of the cities that got invaded and my Omas town was on that list. She was about 5 when Germany took over, She tells me stories about how she couldn't go outside after 6 o'clock or she would be killed. It was just cool to see everything, and in one year I get to see the one in the Netherlands and I can't wait. Also one thing I really liked were the bus rides there and back. They were 13 hours give or take, the bus rides let everyone get to know each other and become friends right before high school. Well if there was one tip I would give anyone is that they should bring lots of water and wear really nice comfortable shoes!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Pictures from Friday!

I got the pictures uploaded!! Sorry there aren't more of the kids. It was more of sightseeing day than anything else.

Sign at Ford's Theatre

Box where Lincoln was shot (with same George Washington picture)

Stained glass at National Cathedral (with a real moon rock in the design)

Pulpit

One of the chapels in the Cathedral

Chapel front in Mary Chapel at the National Cathedral

Pointed arch architecture

Another chapel front

Waiting at the Cathedral

The Cathedral

Still waiting...

More waiting

Group photo at the Cathedral

Another shot of the National Cathedral

Arlington sign

JFK Eternal Flame

JFK's Headstone

JFK Flame in front of Custis House (Robert E. Lee's residence)

Changing of the guards

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Arlington

WWII Memorial

Washington Monument from WWII Memorial (covered in scaffolding)

WWII

Alex rubbing a name at the Vietnam Memorial (from Wednesday)

Cole at the Air and Space Museum (from Thursday)

On the Road Again...

Well, our trip has come to a close. It's been an action-packed vacation and a bit of a whirlwind. But it's also been fun and I think everyone learned a lot. We're going to try and have some of the kids post their stories and experiences from the past couple days. Morgan Northrop already did - check it out!

Today started with Ford's Theatre (the place where Lincoln was assassinated), then we did the National Cathedral, Pentagon City Mall for lunch, Arlington National Cemetery, and the World War II Memorial. It was an amazing day with so much to see and take in.

Ford's Theatre was very cool. It's actually run by the National Park Service, so we got to hear a ranger speak about the assassination as well as check out a small museum and see the actual box (they don't call it a BOOTH) where the President was shot. The box was decorated as it would have looked when Lincoln was killed, with the exact same picture of George Washington sitting in front of it that was there that fateful night almost 150 years ago. I'm a history dork, so I was very impressed!

The National Cathedral was also incredible. We were warned that our eyes wouldn't be able to handle the immense beauty we were going to experience - and they were right! There's also no way that the photos can even begin to do justice to the artistry and architecture. It was gorgeous! It's also an operating church, so we had to be respectful of those in prayer and church services as we wandered about. The kids did great! They were so quiet, polite and respectful of everyone and everything. They were probably in as much awe of our surroundings as the adults were - which essentially left us all speechless.

Pentagon City Mall was our lunch stop. They have a huge food court with all kinds of options. Many of the kids went to Taco Bell. You know, for something different. :-) But we also drove by the Pentagon and Pentagon 9/11 Memorial on our way to/from the mall. So, that was cool.

Arlington Cemetery was special. We got to see the eternal flame for JFK and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. As if those aren't cool enough, we also were fortunate enough to witness a funeral procession and grave visit of a fallen soldier. One of our guides thought it was likely someone from Vietnam, based on the funeral attendees. But, we got to see the body being transported on a caisson pulled by horses. Our guide said that he's only seen that once before and it was very special. Then, while we were watching the changing of the guards, in the middle of presentation, we heard the 21 gun salute and "Taps" being played in the background. It was a truly beautiful, patriotic moment that our entire group seemed to appreciate.

After that, we went to the WWII Memorial (which I don't care much for). It was quick, but the kids got to see a lot. So it was cool. Then it was dinner and loading the bus! We are now on our way home to you!! It's been a great trip. One that I think all of us will remember for a very long time. I apologize that I don't have pictures to post today. I'm having trouble uploading on the bus. I'll try to post some later. Thank you again for sending your kids with us! See you bright and early tomorrow!!

Washington Trip 2013 (Morgan Northrop)

Well, I don't know how to explain my trip this year to Washington other than it was the most amazing trip I've ever been on accept for our bus... Its comfortable a little but from the middle to the back smells so bad because the bathroom, but at least Alex bought air freshener or we wouldn't survive(:
I also loved the hotel room's my friends made this entire trip fun for me also all the new things that we got to see. My favorite thing for example would had to have been the Arlington Cemetery because I got to see a fallen solider be buried and have all of his troops from the Air Force right by his side supporting him and being there for him that was the most amazing thing ever and the closest I've been to a fallen solider it almost brought tears to my eyes.
There were some struggles on this trip, like the bus again, it was very hard to get comfortable and be able to sleep but once you finally get comfortable it's fine but its really cramped because your neighbor is also trying to get comfortable like you. Besides sleeping I came prepared with my headphones and I got the window seat!! There are a lot of beautiful sites here, I totally recommend coming if you never have been here and I just want to say I'm super glad that I had the opportunity to come on this trip.. A big thanks to all the chaperones and teachers!! (: THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING WEEK!!(:

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Day Two...

It was another great day! The rain tried to get the best of us, but flexibility and good attitudes prevailed! On the way to Arlington this morning the sky was BLACK (like "War of the Worlds" - which we watched on the way to D.C. - BLACK). That was a good indication that walking around outside for a couple of hours was probably not going to work. So, we went to the Smithsonians instead.

We started at the Air and Space Museum and then went to the Natural History Museum. After that, it was on to the National Archives. We saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. No photography was allowed, so don't expect to see those photos coming home. Don't worry, though, the only document that wasn't faded beyond readability was the Constitution. Then, with the weather cooperating again, we headed to the Martin Luther King, Jr., FDR, and Jefferson Memorials. They were a whirlwind, but fun. We had just enough time at that point to squeeze in the Iwo Jima Memorial and a visit to the White House (from behind the fence for pictures). As we were headed back the busses, the skies opened up enough to remind us how nice the weather had treated us all day! Finally, we went to Hard Rock Cafe for a delicious meal and came back to the pool for...SWIMMING! The kids waited so long for that one!

Tomorrow will bring a whole other slew of tours and a bit of catch-up. Then, of course, we'll be homeward bound. The weather is supposed to be beautiful and the kids are still ready to take on the world - so we will! Or, at least, Washington. Things have been awesome!! We continue to get compliments on how well behaved and respectful the kids are. Be proud, parents. Be proud. We are!!

These pictures aren't even the tip of the iceberg, but they will get you started: