Between May 8th through the 12th, the eighth grade students had the opportunity to take an unforgettable trip to Washington D.C and New York. Visiting museums, landmarks, and taking tours allowed students to have an interactive and educational experience.

After the eighth graders landed their flight, the trip kicked off with going to see the White House. The rest of the day was spent seeing landmarks, such as the Capitol Building, Library of Congress, and the US Marine Corps War Memorial. They also visited museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“It was cool seeing everything that happened in the past that brought America to where we are now.” 8th grader, Rachel Crespo, said.

The second day continued the students’ experience in D.C. The first thing that they visited was the Arlington Cemetery, where they learned about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and even got to witness the Changing of the Guard. Afterwards, the eighth graders stopped by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. The part of the trip that was spent in D.C wrapped up with touring George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where the students were able to see the land where George Washington used to live, and even walk around his mansion.

“When we saw all of the memorials and stuff, it was kind of sad to see all of those people that died in war, but it was great to know that they’re being appreciated.” 8th grader, Dariana Reyes, said.
After spending the first two days in Washington D.C, the eighth graders drove over to New York. The kind of environment that they were in came as a culture shock to most of the students, as a good portion of them had lived in Florida for nearly their whole life. The way of life in New York taught them a lot about how to conduct themselves in a big city, compared to Florida.

“It’s a big city, the roads are different, everyone walks in front of a car, and wouldn’t die or anything. But here in Florida, it’s just like, you got to take the crossing, and take your time, cause if someone’s going really fast, you got to stop.” 8th grader, Amelia Vega, said. “But in New York, it’s just everyone goes at the same time, and nothing happens to them.”

The Statue of Liberty was the first stop of the students’ time spent in New York. They walked up all 215 steps to the pedestal of the building, which was quite exhausting for a lot of the students and chaperones. After walking another 215 steps back down from the tower, and taking the ferry back from Liberty Island, they payed a visit to the Museum of Native Americans. Their time at the museum taught them a lot about the culture and way of life of Native Americans, which many students did not have much prior knowledge about.

Next, the students traveled all the way up to the top of the World Trade Center, before making their way to Times Square. This was a memorable experience for students, as they were able to explore Times Square prior to seeing the Lion King Broadway show. While seeing all of the different landmarks and visiting museums, the eighth graders were trying to adapt to the New York way of life as time went by.
“I think the craziest thing that I experienced was all the traffic and stuff that was over there, and trying to cross,” Reyes said.

The last day of the trip started off with walking through Central Park, and then stopping at the American Museum of Natural History. The eighth graders took a tour of the Radio City Music Hall in Times Square, where they even had the opportunity to meet and take a photo with a Rockette. Afterwards, a lot of the students were sad to leave New York and start heading home, but the memories they gained from the trip are something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

“It was really fun,” 8th grader, Adrianna Vega, said. “I would definitely do it again.”