Goodrich-From May 3-7 about 139 middle school students took a class trip east to Gettysburg and Washington, DC. The trip was coordinated by English teacher Dawn Robb, and history teacher Tena Czap, along with parents.
The excursion paid for by class fundraising efforts has sparked middle school students? interest for the past 11 years, said Robb.
‘Students are in awe of everything in Washington,? said Robb. ‘The trip to Washington solidifies what they learn in the classroom and it truly helps them make a connection to history’it’s not just not read about in textbooks, it really exists. The students talk about it when they return and often use the experiences from the trip in their class assignments.?
During the trip, four students, India Tailor, Grace Hamilton, Jake Phipps, and Jacob Zetty, honorably participated in a Wreath Laying Ceremony, representing the middle school, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Ceremony.
Sites visited included: the World War II Memorial, Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, the Air and Space Museum, the Vietnam Wall; Korean, Lincoln, FDR, and Jefferson memorials, the White House, the Capitol, National Cathedral, and a rare opportunity to tour the Pentagon. The group also had a dinner cruise on the Potomac River and food and games at Dave and Buster’s.
‘Tours of the Pentagon are very hard to come by,? said Robb. ‘Security was tight. All the adults in the tour had two pieces of identification’we had a few parents that did not get past the Pentagon security for some reason. The students, along with parents all went through a metal detector and there were soldiers with guns outside. We also visited the 9/11 memorial inside the Pentagon. There were many areas that were off limits to the public.?