In late April, the 7th and 8th grade from Hopedale Junior Senior High School took our nation’s capital by storm.  85 students and 8 chaperones spent 3 days exploring Washington DC, learning its history,and seeing our government in action.  It was quite the adventure!

Day 1: The students arrive bright and early for departure from the school at 3 AM!! They are excited and ready to go.  After a long morning of travel the students arrived in DC and hit the ground running!  We went directly to Arlington National Cemetery where they saw the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier.  The weather was nice and made the mile long hike uphill seem a little easier.  We stopped along the way to see several famous graves, such as the Kennedy’s and the memorials to the space shuttles.  From Arlington we stopped at Iwo Jima for a sunset visit and then enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner buffet before exploring the city’s monuments at night.  Walking the perimeter of the national mall, the students explored the Lincoln Monument, the Vietnam Wall, and the Korean War Memorial.  The students were impacted by the stories behind these places and they definitely left a lasting impression.

Day 2: After a good night’s rest, the students ventured down Pennsylvania Avenue to see the White House.  The road was all set to receive the South Korean president that evening.  The students then spent a couple of hours exploring the African American History Smithsonian. The students spent a lot of time examining the impactful exhibits that highlighted the Civil Rights journey and the culture and contributions of African Americans.  From there, the students went to Mount Vernon and spent an afternoon walking the grounds of our first president’s historic home.  Four of our students participated in a wreath laying ceremony honoring the Father of our Country.  After a delicious Italian dinner, we spent some free time shopping in Olde Towne before heading to the Capital Wheel to take in the skyline of DC from the air.

Day 3: To start our final day, the students stopped at the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR memorial, and the MLK memorial.  In spite of the rain, the students took their time studying these sites.  From there the students headed to the National Archives to see the founding documents of our country.  Then we had a guided tour of the Capitol building.  We were all amazed at the beautiful architecture, statuary, and artwork that represents the American government.  We spent some time exploring the Library of Congress and saw the Gutenberg Bible!  We spent our last evening in DC having some fun at the Pentagon City Mall and enjoying dinner at the food court!

Submitted by Leslie Derochers, Hopedale Jr/Sr High School