“The Capital of the World,” “The Chocolate City,” and “District of Crime” is where the eighth-grade took their annual class trip to Washington D.C. Students were immersed in a four day trip in our nation’s capital where they toured famous memorials, monuments, and museums. Benjamin students were given the opportunity to make meaningful connections with history they had learned over the first couple months of school in History class.

On November 1st, Students and teachers began their journey to Washington D.C. Students were met with buses which took them straight to the national portrait gallery in which they explored the fantastic pieces of art of our past presidents. Later into the night students visited the Lincoln memorial, Vietnam memorial, and the Korean war memorial. 

On November 2nd, Students started off the day a trip to the White House. “I love visiting the White House,” said eighth-grade student Samantha Hauesien. “It was a great experience being able to view where so many U.S. presidents had lived.”

Eighth-graders were then brought to explore the World War II memorial, in which they were able to honor the fallen soldiers. The Holocaust Museum was most likely the most significant part of the trip for the students. For the first half of the second quarter, eighth-grade history classes were able to highlight the importance of the Holocaust and the true effects it had on people. Mr. DeVries, an eighth-grade History teacher, said, “The museum really is a place all human beings are gonna remember for the rest of their life, walking through that memorial museum to see it in your face in a way it’s really hard to do in a classroom. Also being around the other people, possibly students from across the country who are there to study the importance of the Holocaust as well.”   For the second half of the day, students were given a guided tour of Arlington National Cemetery. There were a number of students along with faculty members who were associated with the cemetery due to fallen family members. Students Thomas Harris and Elizabeth Merill were given the opportunity to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “It was an honor, and a memory I will never forget,” said Merill.

On the third day of the “Field Study”, chaperone groups were assigned a project in which they had to rephrase the famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and recite their repurposed poems in a competition. Mrs. Devines’ and Mrs. Tanonas’ groups went head to head to compete for a special lunch back at school, but ultimately Mrs. Devine’s group took the win out of all the student poems.

On the last day of the trip, students visited the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial where they made valuable connections to the tragedy of September 11, 2001. To wrap up the trip, eighth-grade students visited the African American Museum in which they explored the museum with their chaperone groups. Students really connected with the museum since it was a big part of the curriculum leading up to the trip. Students and faculty then embarked on their trip back to Palm Beach. Eighth-grade student Sierra McKinney said, “It was an amazing trip and definitely something I will always remember.”