MTHS students who enrolled in the American Studies program had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. from April 1 to April 2, 2015.
All 9th, 10th, and 11th graders who are taking World Studies, American Studies I or American Studies II (instead of World History and American History) were taken D.C. for a fun and educational trip to reinforce all topics covered in class. All three grades had different schedules and different tourist attractions to visit.
We left school on Thursday, April 1 at 6:00 AM to begin our journey. We stopped at a rest stop on the way, where we had breakfast, and reached Washington D.C. around 11 AM.
The World Studies class went to the Holocaust Museum, the sophomores went to the National Archives, and the juniors went to the International Spy Museum.
The Holocaust Museum was extremely emotional because we had the opportunity to see and learn about the brutalities that took place in Europe during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Many students learned a lot about actions during that time period.
“It was an educational experience in which I learned a lot about the climate of Europe during World War II,” said freshman Vivek Krishnam.
Next, we had lunch at the Ronald Reagan building. Afterwards, we checked into our hotel – the Best Western Pentagon Hotel.
We then visited the Fashion Mall for dinner. After dinner, we visited the Lincoln, Vietnam, and World War II Memorials.
“It was really beautiful to see all the memorials light up at night. It definitely was an interesting experience,” said freshman Emma Gentille.
We returned to the hotel to spend the rest of the night relaxing after walking around the different memorials.
The next morning, the juniors headed out early because to tour the White House while the sophomores toured the Supreme Court. The freshmen went to the National Arlington Cemetery where approximately 400,000 military men are buried.
At the cemetery, we saw John F. Kennedy’s grave along with his children’s and wife’s grave.
We also had the pleasure of watching the change of guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is always a guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which represents men who are missing in action or prisoners of the war. They switch every half hour.
After the cemetery, we visited the National Gallery of Art where we were able to see Ginevra de’ Benci, a portrait painting done by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Freshman Gilbert Wong said, “It was amazing to see the only Leonardo Da Vinci painting in the United States on our trip.”
Toward the end of our trip, we went to the National Air and Space Museum to see different World War I and World War II airplanes. After the museum, all three grades met up in front of the White House for a group picture before heading back home.
Have you ever been to D.C? If you have, what attractions have you visited? If you haven’t, I recommend these attractions as some to visit on your trip to our capitol.
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