Heading Home

The students (and faculty as Mr. Hiltz suggests above) have had a
wonderful but wearing adventure. Please note that students will be
calling / texting home to let family know we've touched down in Boston
so they can meet their students on time at Parker. There are two
different flights of students arriving at two different times so be
sure to arrive at Parker for the correct flight. See you all there!

Ronald Regan Building

Our last stop before the airport...

Everybody Smile!

Friday morning began with our school photo at the Capitol Building. A
panoramic camera sweeps the length of the class twice to create the
extra long picture.

Museum of Natural History

Miss Merrill was kind enough to lend her camera to students who provided these photos of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Many of the photos below are from the Hall of Human Origins and the Rocks & Gems collection containing the magnificent yet surprisingly underwhelming Hope Diamond.

The Art of Dying

Today, the group that traveled to the Folger Shakespeare Library will visit the National Archives while groups that have not gotten a chance to "act-up" will get to show their stuff!



Above, Drew is murdered by cannonball to the gut, the music from Eric's parents' radio is too much causing his head to implode and David is mauled by Tristan the Tyrannosaur.

The Pentagon Memorial

The Pentagon Memorial honors those who were killed on board American Airlines flight 77 and the government servicemen and women who were killed within The Pentagon walls. The curved stone structures are each marked with the name of the deceased and are parallel to the path taken by flight 77. Many of the students pointing here are showing the outline of different colored limestone used in rebuilding The Pentagon. The Pentagon Memorial is the most recently constructed monument visited. In the distance students could see the recently constructed Air Force Memorial.

Lincoln Memorial

We will post more photos of this location on this blog page as they become available from other peoples' cameras!

Souveneir Shopping

With the end to our trip nearing, many students have started to pick
out "fashionable" momentos as keepsakes. Maybe next year we reduce the
recommended $$$ for spending...

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

"The things I saw beggar description... the visual evidence and the
verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so
overpowering... I made the visit deliberately in order to be in a
position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever in the
future there develops a tendency to charge these allegations to
propaganda." -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Due to the graphic nature of the museum, no photographs are permitted
within the walls of the museum. Consider having a conversation with
your student and what they witness today when they share their D.C.
experience at home.

Our Fearless Leader

Trip coordinator, Mr. Goldstein takes a quick timeout at the
Smithsonian American History Museum giftshop to try a new look...

Acting Up at Folger Library

Some of Parker's finest performers took center stage to reenact death
scenes from classic Shakespeare plays at Folger Shakespeare Library, home to over 100 original Shakespeare manuscripts.

Monument Morning

Students have started the day touring the Vietnam War, Korean War, and
Lincoln Memorials. Here Tristan, Molly, and Kasey scour Lincoln's
inaugural address for the misspelled word present in the marble carved
message.

Night Falls over D.C.

The students were spent after all the walking we did. Thursday is another day full of exploration and fun for the students. Students will be visiting the Lincoln, Vietnam, and Korean, Air Force, and Pentagon 9/11 Memorials before putting their acting talents to the test at the Folger Shakespeare Library and experiencing a truly somber and powerful Holocaust Museum. We'll keep the updates coming. Hope you are all enjoying!

Monument Walk

The afternoon was spent walking through a few of our nation's newer monuments. Students visited the World War II Memorial, Roosevelt, and Jefferson Memorials. They learned about how the Second World War was fought in two campaigns, how Franklin Roosevelt served over three full terms with polio during arguably the hardest times in American history, and how Jefferson's Memorial can be seen from the White House and has many hidden images of symbolic objects important to Jefferson.

Capitol Building Tour

The Capitol Building was a great stop on our trip around D.C. The tour began with a brief history of our nation's bicameral structure and references to the most influential laws passed in our nation's time. Guides then led groups of students throughout the Capitol grounds, showing students this incredible rotunda and a few of the more decorated chambers of earlier Senate and House of Representative sessions before the nation outgrew them.

Wreath Ceremony

Yesterday, Parker students presented a wreath to the ceremonial guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. It was a powerful moment filled with pride as the unit leader issued a short announcement and taps was masterfully played on the bugle. We hope to post a video of the complete event in the near future, but will have to wait until we get home as the camera filmed on is having some technical difficulties!