A group of 30 Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School students recently toured Washington, D.C. for their annual gifted and talented Project Beyond trip this past semester.

The four-day itinerary was packed from dawn until well after dusk with sites that many of the students and adult chaperones had only seen on postcards and in books.

The group took a self-guided tour of Ford’s Theater Historic Site, where President Lincoln was shot, and the Tenth Street house, where Lincoln actually died, on the first day of their visit. Dinner at Hard Rock CafÇ was more than just a meal, with sites and sounds that added a lot of atmosphere.

The evening on day one brought a sense of appreciation for the many great Americans – some famous, some unfamiliar – who died while striving to spread freedom at home and abroad. The soft light from the tour guide’s lantern led the way from one breathtaking memorial to another. Memorials to Roosevelt, Lincoln, Jefferson, World War II, the Korean War veterans and the Vietnam veterans were lit with a reverent glow.

“The memorials honoring all of our service men and women are truly awesome,” said parent Sandra Odom. “It gives us a chance to reflect on all the lives given to pave the way for us.”

Student Kendralyn Folk admired the memorials from a personal perspective.

“I enjoyed the trip to the Vietnam Memorial,” Folk said. “It really made me proud because my daddy is a Vietnam veteran.”

Day two brought a real-life look at the capitol’s tight security system. By the end of the day, the group had the routine down pat – leave your backpack on the bus, open your purse for the guard to poke around in and put everything metal on the conveyor belt before stepping through the metal detector. A 30-minute lockdown at the White House Visitor’s Center, which turned out to be a harmless garbage truck entering the compound, made the tour of the White House even more exciting.

The students later roamed the Smithsonian Institute. While some took in the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Castle, others wandered through the Museum of African Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Sackler Gallery.

A viewing of the IMAX theater feature “Magnificent Desolation” at the Air and Space Museum had everyone wide-eyed and ready to rest their feet. Then it was on to the ESPN Zone for a sit-down supper followed by fun and games for the kids while the adults got to sit back, relax and watch from a safe distance. A short drive to Alexandria, Va. for a ghost walk finished out the day.

On day three, the group boarded the bus for a tour of the Washington Monument. The towering two-story greenhouse at the Botanical Gardens across from the Capitol was the next stop. All types of foliage and flowering plants from tropical to desert environments grew throughout the super-sized glass house. Next, it was on to the Capitol building for a guided tour and a history lesson about the federal government.

Being surrounded by so much history impressed sixth-grader Kyle Stokes.

“It was cool and fun because we got to go places where famous people have been, like the White House, the Capitol building and places like that,” Stokes said. “We also got to stand in the exact places where the famous people stood, like the presidents, Martin Luther King Jr. and a lot more.”

After lunch at Union Station, the group headed for one of the most impressive stops on the tour – the National Cathedral.

The Supreme Court building, constructed in 1935, offered a look at the nation’s highest tribunal for legal cases. A surprise side trip to “The Awakening,” a 100-foot statue of a giant rising from the earth at East Potomac Park, gave everyone a chance to stretch their legs.

Students got to be a part of the show at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The whodunit “Sheer Madness” had everyone rolling in the aisles as the actors turned a mysterious murder into a comedy.

The group stopped at Arlington National Cemetery and Mount Vernon Estate, the home of George Washington, on day four. A guide took them on an open-air tram tour through the cemetery, pointing out various gravestones and monuments of interest.

Witnessing the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was the most moving experience of the entire trip for many.

“I have to say my favorite part was Arlington National Cemetery,” said 12-year-old Michael Cornforth. “Just to see all those people who died for our freedom was just incredible.”

Raymond DeRienzo, who took the trip with his daughter, was quite moved.

“As a member of the Armed Forces and a government employee, I truly appreciate all the things our founding fathers provided for us,” DeRienzo said. “The one thing I saw which moved me the most was Arlington National Cemetery and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“It was humbling to me to be amongst those who have gone before me and laid down their lives so that I may stand and visit such a place.”

The last stop was Mount Vernon. The mansion is surrounded by acres of land laid out as it was in Washington’s time, with a working farm, a 16-sided barn, farm animals, stables and an outdoor kitchen. The site, which is the nation’s oldest historic preservation project, was Project Beyond teacher Karen Herndon’s favorite stop.

“I am so deeply impressed with George Washington and all that he did for and meant to our country,” she said. “The new education complex is incredible, and the entire estate is a fitting tribute to a truly great man.”

Lunch with “Martha Washington” at the Mount Vernon Inn was a treat, with “the first lady” entertaining questions from the group about her daily activities, George’s various gardens “for the stomach and the soul” and other tidbits about life in the late 1700s.

T&D Correspondent Minnie Miller can be reached by writing to her at 138 Nature’s Trail, Bamberg, SC 29003. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.