Curriculum in action

Eight graders at the United States Capitol

Nolan Bales, Neveah Klemanchuck, William Estes and Jill Garrison were chosen by their peers to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery.

Students explored the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, reflecting on the names etched in stone and learning about the history and sacrifices of those who served in the Vietnam War.

Teachers Mrs. Augumn Van Wageningen (Bible teacher) and Mrs. Candice Gables (US History Teacher)

Students explored the Museum of the Bible. While there, they were able to view the Dead Sea Scrolls.

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The 43 students with 95 total attendees, including parents and teachers, set off on their trip on Sunday, Feb. 15, to head to their first stop, Washington, D.C. 

“It is a whirlwind,” Candice Gables, American History and Government/Economics teacher, said. The group is on their feet, walking anywhere from 10 to 15 miles a day… We are busy from pretty much 8-8:30 in the morning till about 9:30 at night.”

The trip is an “opportunity for students to learn outside of the classroom,” said Gables. In Washington, the group did not waste time; they explored as much as they could, from museums to famous monuments, including:

• Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum
• Museum Of The Bible
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History 
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 
• National Archives Museum 
• WWI Memorial
• WWII Memorial
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Korean War Veterans Memorial
• Iwo Jima Memorial
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Washington National Cathedral
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
• Fashion Centre at Pentagon City
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon 
• United States Capitol 
• National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial 
• Air Force Memorial

Once Wednesday, Feb. 18, rolled around, the travelers headed over to New York City, where they would spend the rest of their time visiting:

• 9/11 Memorial & Museum
• One World Observatory
• Times Square
• Empire State Building
• Statue Of Liberty And Ellis Island
• Wall Street And Trinity Church
• St. Patricks And Rockefeller Plaza
• Fifth Avenue And Central Park

The group finally headed home on Feb. 20, packed full of new knowledge and an abundance of experiences.

The purpose behind the annual trip is rooted in the eighth-grade curriculum. The students learn about American history and the founding of the United States. The trip allows them to come face-to-face with the artifacts and sights that they have learned about in class. 

“Just to see them build relationships and experience things outside of the classroom, it’s just instrumental in their learning,” said Gables. “That learning is more significant and stays with them longer when they have something to connect to like that outside of the classroom.”