6/1/2015 2 Comments News Media and Leadership We started the day off on an interesting note. There was a fire drill at the hotel as we were getting ready to get on the bus. We had to exit the building, but there was not a fire. Everything was fine, but for the safety of everyone we exited when asked by the hotel staff. Our first tour site was the US Capitol Building. The students watched the orientation movie at the underground Visitor’s Center, and then toured the building. They saw the Rotunda and the dome, the 8 paintings in the Rotunda, as well as the Old House Chambers, which is now Statuary Hall. Then we walked through the tunnel to the Library Congress, where the students saw the Great Reading Room, which most people recognize from National Treasure. After a stop at the Library of Congress we walked over to the Supreme Court. There was a decision handed down this morning on a case and we met the CNN news reporter, Pamela Brown, who is their Justice Correspondent who covers the Supreme Court. She explained the basics of the case and the decision. It was not a constitutional issues, but rather a different area of legal issues. We walked down Capitol Hill and headed to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.
We had pizza delivered to us there and we sat in the beautiful garden to eat lunch. Students kicked off their shoes and soaked their feet in the huge fountain in the garden while others enjoyed the modern art sculptures or time in the shade. Then we visited the National Archives to see the Charters of Freedom – the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. They found Abraham Lincoln’s face in a mural that hangs in the rotunda, then explored the Public Vaults. They saw a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation along with other documents that have been saved by the Archives. We gave the students some more down time after the Archives in the sculpture garden. The downtime was very welcome after the heat, humidity, and walking over the past few days. We ate dinner at Union Station and then tried to go to the Nationals baseball game. Just as we got off of the bus and under a very large tent outside the stadium, the rain and wind hit. The tent was large enough that we were all very safe. Once the storm broke the buses picked us up since the game was cancelled. We headed back to the hotel and the students will have a little time to relax there tonight. Tomorrow will be a busy walking day for a last day in DC. We start at the Newseum, a museum about the news and journalism. We will also visit the various Smithsonian museums and Arlington Cemetery. We will end our final day in DC at the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon. It has been a fast week, but we have made tons of wonderful memories! Steps – 12,431 Total – 57,176 steps
2 Comments
Stacy Kurdelak
6/1/2015 12:34:51 pm
Thanks for the updates. Sounds like another amazing experience. So glad I was a part of it two years ago!
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Christal Tongish
6/1/2015 12:45:23 pm
It has been a great trip! So glad you were able to come as well!
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