Washington, D.C.

Today, we explored the Mall and the Smithsonian Museums. Our first stop was the remarkable and inspiring National Museum of African American History and Culture. Students learned about the richness and diversity of the African American experience and how it helped shape our nation.We then split into two groups to visit the National Art Gallery or the Air & Space Museum. While one group took in Van Goghs and Rembrandts, the other students explored the original Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 command module. 

 

We met back together at the Museum of American History, where highlights were the original Old Glory, Lincoln’s top hat, Dorothy’s slippers, and the guitar amp used to record the gritty guitar in “Green Onions” (okay, maybe only a single chaperone was actually impressed by that…).  

 

At night, Charlotte, Lincoln, Bassam, Reid, Zachary, and Pipsa led us on tours of the Vietnam Memorial (where we searched for and found the name of the one veteran from Lafayette, CO, who died in the war), the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. 

 

On Wednesday, we head to Gettysburg, where Mr. Gaffga and Mrs. Gaffga got engaged on the battlefield! Other significant moments in our nation’s story will be pointed out, of course, but we will be most in awe of that event which altered the course of history