When friends ask me about our trip, I enjoy telling
them about our last day. Many travelers worry about the
hotel’s checkout time, typically 11am. For Barnhart,
we’ve already made stops at several venues and getting
to the airport is still hours away.
We woke to crisp air, and a warm sun. The wind and rain
storm that soaked us at the WWII memorial the night
before had blown through. Since we packed up the night
before checkout was easy leaving us time for a “leisurely”
breakfast. Our WorldStrides “On Site Coordinator,” PJ,
congratulated our students on their behavior and we were
off to Arlington.
Curt’s walking tour made the hike up to the Tomb of the
Unknown fun. We saw many interesting grave markers
including Joe Lewis as Curt explained how we came to
know the famous boxer as Jumping Joe, or G.I. Joe.
The accuracy of the Changing of the Guard ceremony
was fascinating and our students were impressed by what
they saw. Seeing our Wreath Layers salute the Tomb along
side the Honor Guard of the Third Infantry Division of
the United States Army was moving. Nikhita, Harrison,
Gian, and Kevin were excellent ambassadors of Barnhart
School and we are proud of them.
Josh and Ryan’s grandparents joined us and we
continued our walking tour with them after the
ceremonies. After lunch at Fuddruckers we
stopped at Ford’s Theatre and the Peterson Boarding
House along with a quick stop at Joe’s Souvenir shop, a
student favorite.
Our next stop was a first for Barnhart, the National
Portrait Gallery, recently re-opened after years of
renovation. We took in two exhibits, “America’s
Presidents,” which is on permanent display, and a
special exhibition, “Legacy,” making connections between
Spain and the United States during the “Age of
Independence from 1763 – 1848.” Spain played an
important role in America’s history, thanks in great
part to Benjamin Franklin, during the Revolutionary War.
Our last stop was another first, the Air and Space Annex
for the Smithsonian at the Dulles International Airport.
Here our students saw aircraft including the Space
Shuttle “Enterprise,” the Enola Gay and a French
Concorde passenger jet which made the trans-Atlantic
crossing in less than four hours.
Our students were absolutely fabulous and we had a
wonderful trip! I’m sure you share in our pride
traveling with 40 teenagers for seven days. We received
praise for their behavior, intelligence and
knowledge. We appreciate the work you have done as
parents and thank you for the trust you gave us to take
care of them.
David, for JoAnn, Kathy and Travis, Sunday afternoon
at 3:30pm.
