Tuesday

Phew!  This was a busy day!

Chaperones and students were up bright and early in their Sunday best...on Tuesday.  They really looked nice.  (Thank you, parents, for helping the kids pack such dapper duds!)

The group experienced the famous walk up Capitol Hill and went on a lovely tour of the Library of Congress.  One student even told me that, while he thought it would be boring and "just a bunch of books," he REALLY ENJOYED it!

On our way down the Hill, the final member of our little DC family joined us--Sra. Brinson.  Our group is now complete!  She managed to arrive just in time for our picture in front of the Capitol Building.  (A nice panoramic photo should arrive in a few weeks for each student.)


We were blessed to stay on schedule in the mid-morning, so the students had plenty of time to explore the National Gallery of Art.  Many of them eagerly sought out works by famous Hispanic artists that Sra. Ford had suggested for extra credit.  Ask your kids what they thought of Salvador Dali's The Last Supper.  It is definitely unique.  After a tasty meal at the Gallery's "Cascade Cafe," some of the students indulged in a little gelato before heading over to the Newseum.

The Newseum features a portion of the Berlin Wall, part of the World Trade Center Tower, and a whole slew of exhibits and activities focusing on media coverage of recent American history.  Many of the students enjoyed a 4-D film, imagined themselves as news anchors in front of a green screen, and found themselves moved by a short film about the tragedy on September 11.

From the Newseum, we walked to the Museum of Crime and Punishment where the students participated in a forensics lab while the parents took a much-needed break on some benches.  Then we all went through the museum's exhibits which ran the gamut from 17th century torture devices to current unsolved crimes.

The bus picked us up and took us to dinner at Union Station, and then picked us right back up to take us to the evening memorial visits:  the Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Korean War Memorial.  As a part of their English curriculum, the students had already researched a soldier whose name appears on the wall of the Vietnam Memorial and wrote a letter of tribute to that soldier.  Tonight, the students were able to find their soldiers on the wall, get a rubbing of the name, and lay their letters at the Memorial.

As always, the view from the Lincoln Memorial was beautiful, with the illuminated Washington Monument mirrored in the reflecting pool.  Another student told me the Lincoln Memorial was definitely his favorite thing so far in D.C.

The students then walked over to the Korean Memorial, where they saw how much thought went into the symbolism of its design.  Chaperones, teachers, and students, all eagerly loaded the bus to head back to the hotel.

It was a tiring, but GREAT day, so I'm confident they will fall asleep quickly tonight.

Until tomorrow...