DAY 4 PHOTOS

Two of the many beautiful stained glass windows in the Washington National Cathedral. The light was not too bright, due to the early hour and cloudy conditions. We all learned about the difference between a church and cathedral, Gothic architecture, gargoyles, and flying buttresses.

Our last day in Washington began with a visit to the White House Visitor Center and a photo op of the White House from the view of the South Lawn. 

Here we all are waiting for our tour of the National Cathedral, our second stop for the day. One of the most interesting things about the Cathedral was how it was damaged in the earthquake last fall. The cathedral is constructed with no steel beams - all concrete gothic architecture, so it, along with the Washington Monument, was damaged somewhat in the earthquake.

After lunch at the National Place cafe court, we walked to Ford's Theatre. The students learned much about the assassination of President Kennedy by John Wilkes Boothe and were able to hear the story from our guide, Rita, and also from the Chief of Police of Washington, D.C. who was in the theater enjoying the play when Lincoln was shot. Actually, the policeman was a National Park employee, dressed in period costume.

Across the street from Ford's Theater is the Peterson House, where Lincoln was carried after being shot in the theater. The historic rooming house has been renovated and an educational center has been built next to the house. Students learned much about President Lincoln and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

A little disappointment turned into races and jumping competitions on the lawn of the Washington Monument. The 8th graders were sad that, due to earthquake damage, they were unable to walk right up to the walls and touch the monument. Instead, we laid on the grass and looked up. It was good to get close to the monument. It was also a fun time to run around and burn off some energy!

Some members of the class jumped up on the stage near the Washington Monument and performed a little improv.

Along came a traveling troupe and performed with our kids. They were from various countries and shared their talents with the class. The students would have enjoyed hanging out longer with their new friends, but we needed to get to the airport for our flight back to Milwaukee. It was an eventful, fun-filled last day in Washington, We hope everyone had a great time. We thank all the parents for supporting their sons and daughters. We also want to thank the chaperones who helped us on the trip and added so many memorable moments!

DAY 3 PHOTOS

Waiting at Arlington for the changing of the guard

The chaperones going to dinner in cognito. Aren't we good looking?

Which George is this????

Look! The likeness is striking!

Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in the same room together? The war must be over!

Thomas Jefferson moves forward in time to shake the hand of an 8th grader

Students gathered in front of Iwo Jima Memorial

Chaperones in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial

The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Contemplating the view from in front of Robert E. Lee's estate in Arlington National Cemetery

John F. Kennedy's gravesite

The "Unicorns" had a little writing activity at breakfast today

Here we are at the end of Day 3. Hard to believe we have done so much in such a short period of time! Our day started a bit earlier today as we needed to be to Arlington National Cemetery by 8:30 am. It rained on our way into the city,maws only drizzling by the time we reached our destination, and by the time we started walking it had stopped completely. We spent quite a lot of time walking around in the cemetery. Rita pointed out many interesting grave sites, including the Kennedy spot, Thurgood Marshall, and many more. We had the honor of watching the changing of the guard and a wreath laying. After the cemetery we stopped for a short time at Iwo Jima. All were impressed at the actual size. From there Wayne drove us to Georgetown where we made a side trip to DC Cupcakes. One of our wonderful parent chaperones generously preordered and purchased a cupcake for each of us. Wow, were they delicious! Mrs. Wippperman had a special carrot cake/cream cheese cupcake in honor of her birthday. We proceeded to the National Zoo, had lunch and a short time to walk through a few exhibits. Our next stop was the US Memorial Holocaust Museum. This is always a tough one emotionally, but so worth the visit. Each student moves through at his or her own pace, and experiences it in their own way. Some students found a place to sit quietly, some shed tears, and others talked quietly with each other. What a powerful place. Wayne escorted us next to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum. This was definitely a favorite of the kids. Many photos were taken with 'famous' people. We saw past and present presidents, actors, singers, athletes, and media personalities. From the wax museum we went to have dinner at King Street Blues. Lots of laughter and good food. You will find our chaperone photo on this day. There were a few looks as we were posing for this shot. Kudos to Anavay taking such a great photo! Wayne drove us to Old Alexandria after a great meal. We met up with our tour guides and had interesting ghost tours. Very cool to listen to these old stories based loosely on fact. The town is old and upscale at the same time. Back to motel by 9:30. One more day...Later

Day 2 Another busy day! Everyone was made it up and ready to go on time. We started our day at the International Spy Museum...a great way to start. Each person had to memorize a new identity and could check their 'spy potential' throughout the museum. We saw many interesting tools of the trade. The museum stays current and took us through cyber issues. There was, of course, a gift shop at the end. You'll have to check out the upcoming chaperone pict which will make use of some spy 'gear.' Next stop was was Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. We spent a little over an hour here which included lunch. Students were able to browse at their leisure. We were picked back up by our driver, Wayne, and we're driven via Pennsylvania Ave to our country's White House. We were greeted at the security gate by a National Park Service employee (and many security folks!) We had to line up alphabetically and were escorted in. It was all very formal. The adults had to show ID at two places and students had to ID themselves by name two times. It was quite a process just to make it to the entrance! The tour was amazing but too short. What an experience to be in the same building as our current President and most other Presidents. We stood in the East Room where Lincoln and JFK both lay after their assassinations. The Botanical Gardens were next on our schedule...very beautiful! This is actually a great place for photo ops. After this we split up into small according to the museums each group wanted to visit. Each small group was accompanied by at least one chaperone. It is wonderful to have all of these super parents along on the trip! Each group enjoyed their own experiences. Wade, Thomas and the W's really enjoyed the American Indian History Museum. The outside and inside design is very fitting. We met Rita on the Constitution Ave side of the American History Museum and loaded the coach bus. Wayne drove us to the new MArtin Luther King Jr memorial. Very inspiring and we learned of some controversy surrounding the finished memorial. We walked around the Tidal Basin to the T. Jefferson Memorial. This is a favorite of Mrs.Wipperman, and the View is incredible! We had an opportunity to do some shopping in the vicinity of the Hard Rock Cafe. Many t-shirts, hoodies and hats were purchased. The vendors and shop owners loved us. Our experience at the Hard Rock was a great. An unnamed chaperone made sure Mrs. Wipperman was properly recognized for her upcoming birthday. Back at the hotel many of us were looking forward to a dip in the pool, but it had closed at 9. Some hanging out and then to our rooms to sleep. More tomorrow...

DAY 2 PHOTOS

Dining at the Hard Rock Cafe after a great day 2 in D.C.!!

Group shot at the Jefferson Memorial

Sitting on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, looking out across the Tidal Basin

Livin' the Dream . . .

All together at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

An orchid at the Botanic Gardens

Yes, those are beads glued to a Volkswagon Beetle at the American Indian Museum

Just off the bus and ready to tour the Air and Space Museum

Can you tell that Mr. Hicks is suffering from shin splints?

DAY ONE PHOTOS

Our 8th grade gentlemen enjoying the day!

The earthquake-damaged Washington Monument

Our guide, Miss Rita, and Mrs. Welhoefer

At the WWII Memorial

Waiting for the plane

Enjoying a much needed coffee at the airport in Milwaukee

Well, we arrived in DC right on schedule. A little turbulence but not too bad. Our guide, Rita met us at Reagan Airport and helped us find our coach bus and driver. First stop, a much needed and appreciated lunch at the Capitol Visitor's Center. We were given three meal choices and readily sat down to eat. As Mr. Nickel commented, it was nice to be still for awhile. We were given some time to look around after eating. Several of the chaperones were lucky enough to visit the Senate and House of Representative Chambers without having previously obtainign tickets. We then headed off for our guided tour of the actual Capitol. The sound quality in the earphones was much better this so we had a more interesting tour. We walked through the tunnel under 1st Street to gain entrance to the Library of Congress. This building contains very beautiful artwork, painted glass, and mosaic tiles. We were not able to gain access to the reading room, but did see T. Jefferson's book collection. We walked to the Supreme Court Building then boarded our bus to head to several war memorials. We started with the World War II Memorial where we learned over 400,000 American soldiers died during WWII. This number is represented by a wall which contains many stars...each one standing for 100 lives. We walked around the perimeter and observed all of our United States represented. The water feature adds to the feeling evoked from this memorial. The Vietnam War Memorial was our next stop...known as 'the wall.' Rita pointed out that the design of this memorial came from intense competition. A woman of 21 years won the honor and did an incredible job. Rita compared the wall to a healing scar in the earth. Each soldier's name that died in this war is etched in granite. A short stop at the Lincoln Memorial followed. All were able to get within 5 feet of this incredible tribute to our 16th President. Then onto the Korean War Memorial. As Eric Hamilton pointed out, you could study each soldier walking through the rice paddies and infer how each was feeling...we saw fierceness, perserverence, and many other emotions in their faces and body language. Our dinner provided us with an opportunity to do some great people watching! We had food vouchers and could choose our meals from several different places. After this we ventured to the Pentagon Memorial. Students seemed quite taken withd solemn place. Many students sat on 'wings' quietly on their own. You could plainly see where the airplane had flown into one of the 5 sides of the Pentagon. After this we bussed to the Airforce Memorial. What a view... Finally made it to the Hyatt Place and got settled in...more tomorrow.