More Thoughts

There's quite a long bus ride ahead of us. It looks kinda gray on either side but there are trees everywhere instead of big, tall buildings. It's starting to look like Vermont out there. Mountains on both sides and, gasp, grass. No one can deny that the city of D. C. is a beautiful one, but it's nice to be heading home. This trip was a great little break from regular life, sort of a delve into the history and structure of our nation, though it will feel good to get back to normal. You know, except maybe for school on Monday.
We got to see things first hand, the things we'd only read about before or seen pictures of. We got to shake hands with our elected congressmen and tour the capitol where they work. We got to cruise the Potomac and see the Smithsonian Museum of American History and walk through Journalism's history at the Newseum. In two days we were able to see the White House and the Library of Congress. Who knows how our teachers were able to organize it, but they did. It's amazing that so many things that mean so much to our country are in just one city, and we got to go there and see them. Those of you reading this have probably read all the other entries that everyone has made, I haven't had the pleasure, but I do know that everyone I've talked to has had a wonderful time in these last few days. The general consensus: It was well worth it.

You've probably read all about the things we've done and the places we've seen and the facts we've been soaking in since we first stepped onto the bus Thursday morning. This is the overall report. I have learned so much in Washington this year and even though my feet hurt and I have a fun-fact mental overload, I would do it all over again in a second. Not many of us EMS eighth graders will grow up and choose to work directly for the government. Not all of us will become senators (we've only got room for two) or Secretaries of the Treasury or whatnot, but the thing about democracy is that if there's going to be a voice of the people then the people need to know what they are talking about. EMS might not produce all the future government operatives and political masterminds, but it will produce students who know who it is that guides them. That know where their voice comes from and where it's going. That know how to use it and how it works. That know their rights and their duties. It's said that the greatest job of a generation of Americans is to educate the next in the ways of the government so that the ideals and workings of democracy can be carried on. Is it not the purpose of our teachers to prepare us for the world we're stepping into once we graduate high school and for our government, one that is “of the people, for the people and by the people?” I would have to say they're doing a pretty good job at it with this trip.

We got to stand where the president stood, and see the inside of the dome that represents the freedom of our nation. The trip might have been short, and the journey long, but I hope that they do it next year and again every year. You cannot trade a building and a painting for a picture in a textbook. You cannot trade a museum for a movie.

I am supposed to be blogging about the trip we took, how it went. I'd have to say it went well. I'd have to say I had fun. And of course, I've learned a lot. So thanks to all the teachers and parents that made this possible and to all of the tour guides and bus drivers and businesses who have all contributed to this. It seems to me like Essex Middle School had a good time.
Sossina and Sarah

More Reflections from the road

I can't believe the DC trip is actually over. We've been so busy that the 3 days have just been eaten away. Last night was a great way to finish the trip, as we got to go on a cruise for a few hours. We got to eat some great food and dance to some awesome music-- even the teachers danced with us! The upper deck of the cruise boat had a great view of DC. After we docked, it looked like everybody was pretty tired, so we made one more stop at the White House to take a couple pictures, and then we hit the hay at the hotel. The DC trip was great!-Mike

Heading Home

We are now on our way home. Students will be calling home to give you and estimated time of arrival. We had a great time!

Reflections of a student blogger

Day 1

This morning was hectic and exhausting at first, but as the day went on it got better and better. On the bus ride there was a lot of commotion and excitement, along with snoring and the flashing of cameras. The first rest stop in New York was where we got lunch. The rest stop was full of people from all over, assorted trinkets, trash, and most importantly food. When we finally arrived in D.C. the mood of the bus completely changed. Everyone on the bus perked up and the noise level rose tremendously. Once in D.C. we went to the Old Country Buffet for dinner. The Buffet had okay food, but a great ice-cream station that we all got the opportunity to use. Finally after a very long day of traveling we arrived at the hotel, the place where my two other roommates, Sianay and Liz and I stayed up talking for hours.

Day 2

After getting a good solid 5 hours of sleep I woke up to the sound of my chaperoned knocking on the door at 6:15 am. When we were finally ready for the day my roommates and I went down to breakfast which consisted of yogurt, fruit, bagels, and of course muffins. Once we finished breakfast it was time to start touring. Our first stop was the Jefferson Memorial where we took pictures, talked, and had fun. One thing that really sticks out in my mind was the building itself and how it had so many different quotes and inscriptions on the walls. After that we then went to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. When we were there we had a photo shoot, admired sculptures, and gazed at the waterfalls. One piece at the memorial that really stays in my head are the words “I hate war”, which were inscribed on walls and rocks. The next place that we went to was the Arlington National Cemetery. Here we saw rows among rows among rows of gravestones. The weather matched the atmosphere of the cemetery; dreary, cold, and haunting. Once we walked through the cemetery it was onto the zoo where we ate lunch and walked around. The zoo was very tiresome but also very exciting. We saw many endangered species along with other unique and very smelly zoo animals. Once dinner finally rolled around we went to the Old Post Office where the food was good. Finally the main highlight of my day strolled around, the tour. On the tour we went all over the city but the main site that I really remember was the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where I took pictures and leaped on the terrace. Our day was also made up of many other things as well such as meeting our state senators and representative, walking around and exploring the city, and much more. To sum it all up I had a great and fantastic day.

Day 3

As usual today we again had a very fun day. This morning we went to ESPN Zone where we ate a delicious breakfast and talked with friends. After that we walked around and shopped for a while in the pouring rain. So kids bought things from the Hard Rock and others just bought things off of street vendors. Once all that was done we went to the new addition to the D.C. family, the Newseum. The Newseum is a museum dedicated to journalism and how it shapes our world and how we live. The thing that amazed me and also saddened me was seeing the actual bar stools from sit-ins which were a very big part of the Civil Rights activists to have equal rights for blacks in America. The Newseum had an amazing view of the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue. From the Newseum we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to have lunch at McDonalds. After that we raced off to the Capitol Building where we broke off into groups. We watched a short video explaining the history of the building and the origins of Congress. We then met up with our tour guide who took us up through the statuary hall and the crypt. The capitol building I must say was definitely my favorite part of the day because of the gorgeous architecture, amazing sculptures and statues, and breath-taking artwork. After touring all day we then went onto a dinner cruise where everyone, including the teachers, had a great and exciting time. That being our last day in D.C. it sort of made me sad, but at the same time I was glad to be going home. Overall the trip was a great success and I am really glad I had the opportunity to go.-LJ

Cruise

Today was awesome. We went to so many places but my favorite was stop was the U.S. capital. We saw the Library of Congress which looked very nice and like it took a lot of time to build. The dinner cruise is awesome a lot of people were dancing and having a blast. But I am sorry to say that tomorrow we start heading home to Vermont.
Alphonse

Friday!

Although we are all tired from the day before, today has been a success (besides the McDonald's lunch). We ate breakfast at the ESPN Zone, which served a delicious buffet. Before we left though, rain began pouring down, so thrift store shopping was a little bit wet! Then, it began to clear up as we headed to the Newseum.

So far the Newseum has been a favorite for the day. There, there was so much for us all to learn. One room was full of crime cases solved by the media, including the case of the infamous Uni-bomber. On another floor level we saw a piece of one of the antennas from the Twin Towers. We learned so much history just looking at and reading newspaper that even date back to the Revolutionary War. Next we were of to the Capitol building to take a tour.

The capitol building was amazing! The outside was made up of marble, and the inside was filled up with statues, paintings, and tour guides. We took as tour of the building, and then used the under ground passage to get over to the library of Congress. After that, we walked over to the Supreme Court. Then, we had wait for the buses. And right now we are inside of the American History Museum at the Smithsonian.

-Jessica B. Angie K. Lanna M.

Our Afternoon

We started off our afternoon at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Everyone enjoyed the freedom to go in groups of two or more, without our chaperons. There were so many cool exhibits; everyone had their favorites. The pandas were an especially big hit, but the hippos, tigers, and lions were also well liked.
After a calm afternoon at the zoo, we went to the Old Post Office for lunch. There were lots of cool places to eat and stores to window shop. One favorite, one that hit close to home, was Ben and Jerry's. Our dinner coupon included dessert and many chose this hometown favorite.
But the highlight of our evening came after our early dinner. On the back steps of the capitol building, we got to meet and ask questions to our senators and our representative: Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, and Peter Welch. Though in other years, eight graders had the chance to meet with one or two of our congressmen, we were the first group to be able to meet with all three. They were very pleasant and answered all of our questions, even one about Senator Leahy's appearance in The Dark Knight.
We ended our night with a very well guided tour, stopping at many monuments. The monuments with all their lights lit up really made us think about the immense patriotism of all of our soldiers, past and present. And also made us realize the shear number of lives upon which our county had been mounted and by which it has been time and time defended. We are now heading back to the hotel, where we will hopefully get a good night's sleep before another full day in our nation's capitol tomorrow. -Sossina, Sarah and Bus 1

Memorials and Arlington

Today we went to the Vietnam, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt Memorials. I don't know if you've ever been to any of those, but they are amazing sites. The Vietnam Memorial is a shear black wall that rises from the ground and is etched with the many names of those who died in the war. Next to the names are engraved rhombuses, except by those who were not found dead, not found at all. It's sad because the names blend together, but once you see one little cross by a name- signifying the unknown end of the poor soldier- they seem to be everywhere. You see them all. There are too many.

We got to see the cherry blossoms by the Tidal Basin and the waterfalls at the FDR Memorial. But the real show-stopper was Arlington Cemetery. There were graves, lines of them, small and white. We got to see the changing of the guard ceremony, a truly sobering experience. The silence of it, the meaning, took our breath away, and our energy. Honestly, after walking Arlington and getting up so early this morning we are all ready for lunch at the zoo.-Sossina and Sarah

Memorials

This morning we traveled to the Jefferson Memorial. While at the Jefferson Memorial we took pictures, walked around, and read meaningful quotes. After the Jefferson Memorial we then ventured on to the F.D.R. Memorial where we were able to see water falls, statues, and inscriptions. While there we took lots of pictures and enjoyed the time spent looking at all of the different scenes, statues, and sites. We also visited the Vietnam Memorial where we walked through and were amazed and saddened by all of the names on the plaques. -LJ

First Morning

Bus 2 was pretty fun. Out room was good. When we got to the hotel we got to hang out in our room for a little bit until Mr. Airoldi came and told us lights out. We talked for a little while longer and then went to bed.

This morning we ate breakfast quickly and now we are on the bus heading into D.C.!
-Alphonse

Buffet!!

Believe it or not, the bus ride has just flown by! Thankfully, only a couple of kids got sick on the trip! Blogging from the restaurant right now, the food is better than expected, compared to the typical buffet. Everybody seems to like the Ice-cream machine, and everybody is settling in pretty well to Washington. Its just about time to head back to the bus to go to the hotel.-Mike

Bud Ride!

After about three and a half hours on a bus the babble has gone down. We're in the midst of our first DVD and the students that had started out excited and rambunctious have mellowed. Don't get me wrong, the buses are nice but we're not looking forward to spending the next eight and a half hours sitting still. I guess you can't keep 42 eighth graders happy on a bus for more than 45 minutes.

Everyone is looking forward to different things. For some, it's lunch at the national zoo on our first day in the city, for others it's getting a chance to eat breakfast at the ESPN Zone, and for still others it is the chance to see all of the historical buildings, including the capitol. Personally, we (Sossina and Sarah) are looking forward to the monuments.

We are just about to stop for lunch. We'll check in later from our nation's capitol.

Sarah &Sossina <3

Follow our student bloggers!!!

The time for our trip has finally come! We will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning for our exciting excursion to our nation's capital! Here are our bloggers, earger to share their personal experiences from our school trip. Please check back often as we will be updating our blog throughout each day!

Update and Washington Roomate Protocol

Hello Everyone! April is coming fast upon us. In the next couple of weeks, I will be releasing final bills to every student. We must wait until all students have finished and returned their money for the candy fundraiser. If your child has not turned in the funds for their box of candy, please do so asap.

Also, I am in the process of getting final billing statement from all of our vendors. As it is now, we are looking at the cost being around $375. Your students final balance will be listed on their bill.

There have been a lot of questions surrounding roomate lists. Below is the protocol that will be followed for roomate selection:

On Monday students will be able to sign up for room assignments. Here are the specifics:

1. We reserve the right to change roommate assignment should the need arise.

2. Students will be guaranteed at least one friend in their room.

3. Four students will be assigned per room.

4. Students may either sign up for room as a pair for a room or as a group of four.

5. Students may not change roommates after sign up.

**We spend very little time at the hotel. For the most part students clean up, dress and sleep in their rooms.

News!!

Hello everyone!

Now that the holidays are over, it is now time to focus on planning for the Washington trip!
Official counts for the trip are as follows:
Boys=59
Girls=73
Total Students=132
Chaperones=13

We will be posting new information as it arrives.

In other news, we will be starting our third and final fundraiser at the beginning of next week (as long as our supplies arrive). We will be selling candy bars. Bars cost 1.00 each and students make a 50% profit on each bar sold. Each box contains 52 bars and you must sell all of the candy in each box.

Our previous fundraiser of selling calendars went really well! Congratulations to everyone involved.

Finally, we will be starting the rooming process soon. We plan to have the students sign up for rooms. All rooms will have 4 students in them and each child will be able to room with at least one friend.

The trip is coming soon, so I will post as often as I can. Please check back to the blog often. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.