Eighth Grade American History Students Visit Washington, DC
Posted on 05/16/2023
Last week, 67 eighth grade students and their chaperones made their way to Washington, DC for the annual whirlwind tour that takes students to iconic landmarks, museums, and memorials in our nation's capital as they get the opportunity to see some of the places and events they studied in their American History class throughout the year.
After departing early on Tuesday, students started the trip with a late afternoon visit to Arlington Cemetery, as well as with stops at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and the Iwo Jima Memorial in the evening.
The next day, they began d the morning with picture stops at the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress, before visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. They drove up Embassy Row and went past the National Cathedral before seeing the pandas at the National Zoo. They continued at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and after dinner visited the National 9/11 Memorial.
On Thursday, they did a picture stop in front of the White House, visited the Smithsonian American History Museum and Smithsonian African American Museum before heading to Mt. Vernon for a tour, and wrapped up the day with a walk around the famed Tidal Basin to get an up-close look at the Jefferson, FDR, and MLK Memorials.
On their final day, the students visited the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean Memorial before heading back to Ohio.
Eighth grader Violet Black served as the student photographer for the trip, and shared her thoughts — as well as some great pictures! — to help students remember their trek to our nation's capital:
"The DC trip is a surreal experience unlike anything I have done before. The trip takes the lessons you learn in the classroom and puts them in front of our eyes in incredible ways. This trip creates memories that will last a life time from beautiful views to social experiences you won’t get anywhere else. This trip shows 8th graders how America become a nation with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all and also gave us glimpses of the future."
📷 Violet Black