Coleman Freshmen Civics Students Go to D.C.

On October 28, Mr. Jeremy Brady and Mrs. Joy Rohde led 78 Coleman 9th-grade students, parents, and adult community members on a tour of Washington D.C.  On the way, they stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania.  Students learned a lot visiting the Flight 93 memorial and found it to be very powerful to hear the actual voices of the people on the plane who sacrificed their lives.

Upon arrival in D.C., they visited the Air Force Monument, the White House, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument as part of their night tour.  Students really enjoyed seeing the Washington Monument noting that it is MUCH larger than it seems in pictures!

Day two in D.C. brought them to the U.S. Capitol for a tour and Representative Gallagher’s office set up a special tour of the House Chambers.  Students then saw the Library of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Courthouse, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean Memorial. They then visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum before ending with dinner and a historic ghost walking tour through Alexandria.  After leaving the Holocaust Museum, student Makenzie Nowak was so moved that she made a donation to the Holocaust Museum stating that “It was humbling for me because I didn’t know how bad it really was.”  

Day three brought them to Mount Vernon.  They toured much of the Mount Vernon estate and saw the many, many inventions and entrepreneurial ventures that George Washington partook in.  Students were able to participate in a wreath-laying at George Washington’s tomb.  Students Jameson Uhl and Sebastian Soletske helped with the ceremony by reading a historical piece of literature from the time and leading the pledge.  Veterans chaperones Brooke Smith and Jason Hanrahan placed the wreath.  They then visited the Natural History Smithsonian before going to the FDR Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. Their evening ended with a dinner/dance cruise on the Potomac River.

 On their last day in D.C., they visited Arlington National Cemetery, saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and J.F. Kennedy’s eternal flame, and visited the Udvar Hazy Smithsonian before leaving for the two-day trip home.  Many students were most impressed with, how many soldiers died for their country and the discipline that the Marines guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier have.

Overall, the students had an amazing trip and the adult chaperones made the trip run smoothly for a great educational opportunity for the Coleman 9th grade.  The following organization donated money to help pay for students trips and covered one of the meals for all of the students, which was very much appreciated.  Thank you very much to The American Legion.