Wednesday, July 22, 2015

A trip to Washington D.C.


Imagine the first time you took a trip someplace exciting...did it involve riding a train or figuring out the complexities of the metro? Did it have you visiting sights you'd read about in history class? 
The anticipation was building for this group of five students from the Montagnard community who were selected to attend a week-long experience in our Nation's Capital. 


From June 21st - June 25th, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Parker (Brookstone teachers) served as tour guides and chaperones to five of the students who attend their afterschool program. The trip was filled with sights to see and people to meet, including:  
Alexandria Seaport Cruise
Library of Congress Guided Tour
Congressman Adams’ office
Tour of the Capitol with congressional staff
Visit with Senator Thom Tillis
Guided tour of Supreme Court
Nighttime Tour of Monuments
Behind the scenes, before-hours tour of National Portrait Gallery
Ford’s Theatre
Natural History Museum
National Zoo 
Guided tour of National Archives
Air and Space Museum




At the end of the visit, they made a list of the places they visited and the
various activities and asked each student to rank
each item on the list in the order that they found it enjoyable. Here are
the top items:  (Numbers 3 & 4 were actually tied for third place.  6, 7, &
8 were also tied for sixth place)

1.      Nighttime tour of the monuments
2.      Behind-the-scenes, before-hours tour of the National Portrait Gallery
3.      Tour of the US Capitol led by staffer from Congressman Adams' office
4.      Pool time at the hotel.
5.      Smithsonian Natural History Museum
6.      Boat Cruise on the Potomac River
7.      Meeting with Senator Tillis
8.      National Zoo





The group also shared time in devotions at the hotel, journaling about their experiences and swimming in the pool!

It was a packed week of firsts and a collection of memories this group of students will never forget!