USM Wreath Laying Ceremony

Friday Finale

Our final day in DC was by far the most meaningful, as we visited Arlington National Cemetery. Ernie gave us an extensive tour of the grounds, highlighting the requirements for burial, the graves of Medgar Evers and William H. Taft, the Kennedy Gravesite, the Lee house, and the Civil War (including some Confederates) burial area. Our experience at the Tomb of the Unknown and the Memorial Amphitheater was the capstone of the entire trip, as four students presented a wreath at he Tomb and our choir sang in the Amphitheater. A special thanks to Ms. Altman for the practice and performance - it was amazing. After a stop at the Marine Corps Memorial and some lunch, we finished the trip with some time at the American History Museum and Air and Space Museum. A great finale on Friday!

Cruising the Potomac ...

The historical tourists referred to it as dancing, but some of us are still not sure. No matter what, they all had a ton of fun on the Potomac this evening. See everyone tomorrow at MKE!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Gettysburg

We spent the day on the hallowed ground of Gettysburg, site of the largest military engagement in the Western Hemisphere.  We began with the awesome introductory video, cyclorama visit, and museum stop, and then a stroll through the National Military Cemetery at Gettysburg. After lunch, it was off to the battlefield, where we re-enacted the Iron Brigade at the Railroad Cut, saw the battlefield from both perspectives, held the line at Little Round Top, and relived Pickett's Charge.  After a drive back to DC, we went to the new MLK Memorial and the FDR Memorial before heading back to the hotel to look pretty for the dance cruise this evening!  Check back later for more pics from Thursday.

Red and Yellow Knight - Victorious!

The feast at Medieval Times was one to be remembered - the lords and ladies dined with their hands, our section's knight emerged victorious in battle, and one of our own was crowned "Queen of Beauty and Love".  How can you beat that?  Check out Wednesday's pictures for more visual evidence of the festive event.

Tons of Wednesday Fun

A beautiful morning at Mount Vernon started our second full day as we traipsed around the grounds, checked out Washington's home, learned more about Washington the planter, and watched a movie with snow (ask your historian).  I think many kids want to go back!  After a drive through historic Alexandria and lunch, we hit the US Capitol.  Representative Ryan met us on the steps of the House ... pretty cool from a big name in the news.  We then toured the Capitol, and one group actually got to go into the House gallery.  We had to leave early due to traffic for dinner, but all in all, a great (and more leisurely) day!

Day 1 in DC

We have some happy and tired DC tourists, as we saw a ton of the city and sights today!  We started out with a fun breakfast at the Hard Rock Café, followed by a trip next door to Ford’s Theater.  A visit to the museum and presentation by a NPS Ranger told the story of that fateful April 14, 1865.  We took a great picture stop at the White House, one of everyone’s highlights today.  Kids chose their favorite piece of art at the National Gallery of Art – ask them when they return.  After lunch, we hit the Newseum and Holocaust Memorial Musuem, grabbed some dinner, and did a night tour of the major monuments on the Mall.  All in all, we had a great opening day in DC.  Tomorrow – Mount Vernon, the Capital , and jousting!