5/31/2015 0 Comments Day of Sadness and Laughter This day has ended on such a high note. We started the day at Mount Vernon. We toured the grounds of George Washington’s home and paid our respects to him at his tomb. We spent some time going through the museum and seeing artifacts owned by the Washingtons. We also toured through their home. It is the verdigris green painted dining room that most of the students said was too much for them. It is quite the bright green color. We had box lunches on the way from Mount Vernon to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Students had been looking forward to this after studying the Holocaust in middle school. They viewed the permanent exhibit, which includes key artifacts from the Holocaust, including one of the cattle cars that were used to transport people to the camps. When students exited the exhibit they said it was one of the saddest museums they had ever visited. We discussed the architecture of the museum as well that adds to the overwhelming feelings and makes visitors feel like they are under constant watch with guard towers all around. We told the students that if they should come out of the museum feeling on edge and concerned. That is the message it wants to get across to the public. When you see injustice in front of you, do you speak up to help end it or do you just stay silent and watch it happen?
After the Holocaust Museum we walked around the Tidal Basin, visiting the Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The 19 foot tall statue of Jefferson amazed them, since he is the same height as the Lincoln statue. They enjoyed the statues in the FDR memorial that represent the Great Depression, and they listened to Dr. King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” speech while standing around the frieze/ statue of him. We had a delicious dinner at O’Connell’s in Alexandria, which is an Irish restaurant. We ended the night with tons of laughter, which was needed after the seriousness of the Holocaust Museum and the memorials. We saw the play Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center. It is an interactive murder mystery in which the audience members participate by interviewing the suspects, pointing out evidence, and voting for who they believe committed the murder. They students had such a marvelous time. They were still analyzing the evidence and arguing about the suspects as we left the play. Tomorrow we will visit the US Capitol, the National Arch - 1431414ives to see the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, We might get a chance to see the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court depending on time. We will hopefully end the day at the National baseball game. We are keeping an eye on the weather and hoping that the forecasted thunderstorms and rain stays away tomorrow. Steps - 14,767 Total – 44,745 steps
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Today was so wonderful. Despite the very warm weather - low 90s with high humidity, the students has such an amazing experience. We started the day with our visit to the White House. The students were dressed professional and received so many compliments from White House staff, other visitors that came up to the chaperones to find out why teenagers looked so nice on the Mall, to staff at the National Cathedral.
Our White House visit was at 8:30 this morning and the students took complete advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. They asked questions to the Secret Service agents standing in the various rooms we walked through, they stopped to ask about events that happened in the house - where did the President stand when he gave a speech, who is that painting, etc. As we came to the main entrance on the north side of the house to exit a large group collected to talk to one of the agents on the President's detail. We found out that he was in the building while we were there. We headed over to the big 3 monuments - Vietnam, Lincoln and Korea. Two of the boys participated in a flag folding ceremony at the Vietnam wall with veterans. This was a very emotional ceremony for the chaperones, other visitors who watched, and the veterans that participated in the ceremony. What an amazing once in a lifetime moment! Students said that Lincoln was so much larger than they expected. The 19 statues of the Korean memorial was shocking to some students. They described the faces as looking scared and sad. We had a great lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, and then toured the Washington National Cathedral. While much of the earthquake damage has been repaired down the main area inside the church, there is a lot of work still going on inside and outside. Students found the Darth Vadar grotesque on the back of the tower, visited the crypt where Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan are buried, paid their respected to President Wilson who is buried in the cathedral, and saw a piece of the moon in the Space Window. We managed to get our visit to the zoo in today, and the students loved the pandas. Many said they wanted to take them home, until they saw the massive teeth the pandas use to eat their bamboo. Other favorites at the zoo included the American bison and the cheetahs. We had dinner at Chevy's Mexican restaurant, and then headed to the World War II memorial. The 4,000 gold stars representing 100 men each that died in the war was a visual image that made an impression on the students. They also looked at the details of the bronze relief sculptures/ friezes that show key events on the homefront and battles of World War II. Finally it was time for the trip up to the top of the Washington Monument for the amazing views of the city. The weather was clear and beautiful tonight so they were able to see for miles around. Their favorite views were the secret service on the top of the White House, seeing the Pentagon, and the Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln memorials we had visited this morning. One of the most moving experience for the students and chaperones today was meeting veterans from the wars the US has fought. There were World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans all around us at the memorials and the students walked up to them, shook their hands and thanked them for their service. Many times the students said this rather surprised the vets and they would get big smiles on their faces and some shared incredible stories with the students if they had time. There was a large Honor Flight of World War II vets visiting the monuments while we were there. What an honor for the students to meet these vets. i asked for quotes from the students and chaperones tonight about their favorite memories or experiences so far. Here are some of the answers I got: Lilly - My favorite memory so far on this Washington DC trip was the Vietnam Memorial because I got the experience to thank all of the veterans for serving our country by giving them a strong handshake and saying, "Thank you and welcome home." Drew M - It was amazing to see how many veterans were at the memorials! I will always remember how gracious they were when I shook their hands and thanked them for their service. Ethan G - I loved the cathedral. It was so interesting because the history of it was phemonenal, the architecture of it was some of the most complex I've ever seen, they have many different ideas and items in and out of the cathedral, and the windows are so amazing. I've never seen anything like them. Josh T - I personally loved it all. There is no specific thing that was more important than the other - except maybe the White House. I think that is because the history here is so special and I think some of its charm comes from the people who live here to teach the history. I am definitely coming back one day. Jeffery G and Caleb W - The best thing that could be taken out of today was the sacrifice our soldiers took to keep our country free. Even veterans of those wars believe that "the torch was passed down to our generation" making use in charge of how this country's future upholds. Jarrett A - It doesn't matter where you are on this planet, what makes it special is the people you share the experience with and the ones who do all they can to make the time the time of your life. That's what makes this trip the best! Cory W - I will never forget what a World War II veteran said to me - "These men died so we can be free we must never forget what happened in any war. We must pass it down and never forget. Cody W - I really liked when Cory and Caleb folded the flag and we shook all of the veterans hands while they wore smiles, proud that we recognized them as our heroes. Scott L - As a veteran myself, just knowing responsibility of service above self is one which I am truly proud of as I reflected. It created emotions which I haven't felt in years. Steps - 14,576 Total - 29,978 steps 5/29/2015 0 Comments Gettysburg and Arrival in DC What a phenomenal day! It was a full day, but filled with lots of great memories already. We woke up in Gettysburg and started with the orientation film at the visitors center and seeing the Cyclorama. The Cyclorama is a 360 degree circular painting that depicts the 3rd day of the battle - Pickett's Charge. It was painted 131 years ago and was moved from its old location in Gettysburg to the new visitors center. It has been cleaned over the past 5 years and looks bright and nearly new. After a fast trip through the museum we headed out to the battlefield. The students wanted to see three specific sites on the battlefield - the cemetery, Little Round Top/ 20th Maine Monument, and Pickett's Charge. To help with the nearly 80 tour buses on the battlefield this morning, our battlefield guides decided to send the boys bus on one loop and the girls bus on the reverse loop of the sites.
At the cemetery, students saw the only memorial to a speech in the US - the Gettysburg Address, the current speaker's rostrum, as well as the graves of the unknown and known soldiers. Our guides also pointed out where historians believe Lincoln stood when he delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Along Seminary Ridge we followed the Confederate corps as they gathered in the woods to prepare for the charge across the one mile open field towards the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge on the third day of the battle. We circled through the Peach Orchard where General Sickles nearly caused the Union to loose the battle, and then up to Little Round Top. One of the groups made it over to the site of the 20th Maine monument where one of the few bayonet charges in the Civil War happened. All groups walked out to the edge of Little Round Top to look down on the Devil's Den boulders where many Confederate soldiers were killed on the 2nd day of the battle. It is a beautiful place to look out over the entire battlefield from the heights of the Round Tops. The students had wonderful things to say about Gettysburg, and said their favorite location was the Round Tops. We grabbed boxed lunches and headed to Washington DC. We hit the shopping first so students could get the most for their money for the souvenirs that they hopefully will be bringing to their friends and families. Then it was a brief walk down to Ford's Theater and the Peterson House. There is a Presidential Gala event at Ford's on Sunday, so we were unable to get into the theater itself and the museum, but we went through the Peterson House where President Lincoln was carried after he was shot. It was in the tiny backroom of Peterson House that President Lincoln died at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865. We walked through the front parlor where Mary Lincoln stayed through that long night, and the front bedroom where Secretary of War Edwin Stanton managed the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth and began putting together the search for other conspirators. As we came down through the Education Center for Leadership and Legacy, we saw the special exhibit that was put together for the 150th anniversary of his assassination. Artifacts that were "witnesses" to his death were brought together from across the country for display. Today was the final day of the exhibit, and students told me that they loved it. The tiny Derringer pistol that Booth used, Lincoln's top hat, the contents of his pockets, his long dress coat, Mary's black velvet cloak, as well as the flag that draped over the bannister in front of the Presidential box were on display. Students were shocked when they looked at the flag since it was taken down and used to cradle Lincoln's head before they moved him from the theater. The blood stains from his wounds were still very visible today. We made an impromptu stop at the National Law Enforcement Memorial to pay our respects to all of the law enforcement personnel that have died in the line of duty in the United States. This was not a planned stop, but we decided it was a good place to add to the day. We finished our day with an excellent dinner at Ming's in Chinatown. One of the things that we encourage our students to do on the trip is to try new foods. Since there are not a wide variety of ethnic food options in Rensselaer, coming to Washington DC is a great chance for students to try something new to see if they like it or not. My table ended dinner by sharing all of our fortunes. While most of them were pretty standard fortunes, one of them topped all of the rest. I can't remember the exact wording, but it dealt with avoiding trolls, which was so out of character for a Chinese fortune that we all had to laugh. We have checked into our hotel tonight, and the students are enjoying some down time here before 10:00 p.m. curfew. We have an early morning tomorrow when we visit the White House. We have breakfast scheduled for 6:15 am and we head into town at 7:00. We will tour the White House at 8:30, then go to the Korea, Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. We will lay some carnations at the Wall tomorrow to honor those from Rensselaer whose names are on the Wall. We have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, then a trip up to the National Cathedral. If we have time we might stop to see the pandas at the zoo, but we can't promise that stop since we can't get into and out of the zoo in under one hour. We have dinner at Chevy's Mexican Restaurant, and end our day with a trip up the Washington Monument and a visit to the World War II Memorial. It will be a full day, but hopefully one that the students will create memories to treasure in their future. Step Count 8,394 Total - 15,402 5/28/2015 1 Comment Off We go....Well, after planning, monthly club meetings, lots of fundraising, and packing, our trip is finally here. We reported to school at the bright and happy time of 4:30 a.m. First it was loading the buses, grabbing breakfast sandwiches and yogurts, getting carry-ons in overhead compartments, and getting situated in seats. Then we were off.... We made a quick stop for some gas in Remington to top off a tank, and then trucked it on down the road. We stopped outside of Dayton, OH, for fuel and a rest stop, and then again for lunch in Zanesville, OH. We slept, watched movies, talked and enjoyed a roller coaster type of road as we got closer to Gettysburg tonight. We had a fabulous dinner at the Dobbin House, which is the oldest building here in Gettysburg, built in 1776. It was one of the first known stops created for the Underground Railroad north of the Mason Dixon line. Then it was off to our ghost tour. We walked through some of the old streets of Gettysburg and learned about Jenny Wade, the only civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, and her fiance, a man from Gettysburg who also died in the battle. We learned about the field hospitals that filled everyone's homes, schools, churches and other buildings in town, and about the Blue Boy, a young child that had escaped from an orphanage and was protected by two female students for about 1 week at Gettysburg College. To hide him from the dorm mother's room check he stood outside of their window in a snowstorm, and was seen by a female student 120 years later when he tapped on her window while she was studying and wrote "Help Me" on her window. We are finally checked into our hotel rooms and headed to bed. We will have breakfast at 7 a.m. and then it is off to tour the battlefield.
I only have a couple pictures to share tonight, but I hope to collect more at breakfast in the morning and upload them as the day goes by tomorrow. As an history teacher I have always wanted to bring students here to experience this moving site in person. Thank you to all of the students for their hard work all year, and for learning about the Civil War in class with enthusiasm and interest. To the families and friends of the students on the trip, thank you for your support of the trip and allowing us to bring your student with us for this amazing experience! To the RCMS staff and the Rensselaer community, thank you for your continued support of this trip over all of the years. For many of the students on this trip this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I hope they return to Rensselaer with wonderful memories. Step Count - 7,008 |