Envision being 2,260 miles across the country with fifty kids from school. This is what many students encountered during their spring break visit to Virginia and Washington DC. In a total of six days on the East Coast, they visited multiple monuments, museums, and memorials such as the White House, the US Capitol and Ford’s Theater. Ford’s Theater was where Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, was shot. He later died across the street in the Petersen House. Along with seeing many historical sites, students also participated in many activities, including one intense but memorable event.    Some of the students went on their first airplane flight that trip.

“It was my first time flying anywhere…it was kind of fun.  It felt like a rollercoaster, “ said Carson F.

On the first night of the trip, 50 students climbed into a bus at 2:30 AM.  They took a two-hour bus ride to LAX, and from there, boarded a plane to Atlanta, Georgia. After a brief layover, their second flight was to Richmond, Virginia, where they drove a bus for about an hour to get to their first activity. Once in Williamsburg, everyone had a view of the first capital of Virginia. The house was separated into two sides, the House of Burgesses and the House of Delegates. The students crammed into a room where meetings were held to make important decisions for the capitol.

At the end of the day, the group encountered the intense event that many soldiers went through, marching.  This was no ordinary marching, for they endured walking in pace for an hour while being hollered at by different revolutionary officers.  Doing this already seemed unimaginable, but the students did it in 30 to 40 degree weather. And while it was pouring.

“Williamsburg felt like  you were in that time period.. And I feel like that taught me the most, too,”said Zachary G.

Another place the students visited was Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.  The house was constructed at the top of a hill surrounded by fields, trees and an extraordinary yard. Jefferson’s home was over 10,000 square feet, and he owned over 5,000 acres of land.

After a visit to Virginia, the group traveled to Washington DC.  On their way into Charleston, disaster struck. Students on the bus cringed as a putrid smell wafted through the bus airflow.  As a precaution, the vehicle pulled over and students piled out.  The investigation revealed a flat tire, and the middle schoolers waited for three hours for a replacement bus.

When the new bus reached the DC hotel, students stumbled out and zombie-walked to their rooms.  But despite all this, during their visit in Washington DC, the students enjoyed many federal sites.  The next morning, many kids were exhausted and still had a whole day of adventure ahead of them.  The first activity was something many people have never experienced, seeing the Declaration of Independence.  They passed by many monuments and memorials.

“All the monuments made it feel like Disneyland but way better,” said Carson F.

On the final day, students still had some exciting places to encounter.  They rode the bus over to the one-and-only Capitol Building. A tour guide, who spoke into a speaker that only the students could hear in each of their ear pieces, led the way through the building. They passed through the United States Capitol Crypt, designed for George Washington’s body, which was underneath the United States Capitol Rotunda.  The interior and exterior of the dome was under construction, so the view of many of the paintings in the rotunda was obstructed.

“I liked the capitol building the most.  I liked seeing the statues and the stars on the ground. Outside of that, I liked seeing all of the monuments and statues,” said Justin N.

After the students’ last visit to a site, they made their way to the Dulles Airport. The kids hoisted their luggage off of the bus and they made their way to the plane.  It was a non-stop 5 and a half hour flight back to LAX.  They finally received their luggage and drove another hour to get back home.   

“The trip was a fun and great experience and also I got to learn a lot,” Justin N.