Harding Eighth Grade Travels To D.C.

Harding students gather in front of the reflecting pool facing the Washington Monument. That's us in the purple shirts. 

Photo by Julia Kompier

I am a student in 8th grade at Harding Middle School, and from May 1st through May 6th, 134 students and I got to go to Washington, DC. by bus.

After 7 hours of driving, talking, and laughing, we looked out our windows to see monuments in the distance.

We first arrived at Arlington Cemetery to see more than 400,000 graves perfectly aligned with each other, as if in army formation. We had the opportunity to see the changing of guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is constantly guarded. For the rest of the day we visited many memorials, my personal favorite being the National World War II Memorial, with its beautiful fountains and great views.  

On the second day we got to visit the United States Capitol Building. Inside we got to see 100 statues dedicated to people who changed history. This day we also got the opportunity to remember the tragedy of the Holocaust. In the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum there were heartfelt and tragic stories of the survivors and of the lives lost in the Holocaust. In this museum there was a 200 square foot room, just filled with shoes. So many shoes. The shoes of the hopeful, desperate, and scared sitting alone in a room.  

That night we saw a hilarious murder mystery play at the Kennedy Center. The next day we saw the White House, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and a tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield.  

This trip was an adventure that I will never forget.