This June, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his timeless "I Have a Dream" speech, 13 Frick Middle School 8th-graders looked across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument and let history sink in.
"It's different because we learn about these things in books at school, but once you're there you can feel the historical moments," explains 8th-grader Styliyah. "You get more information than you would from a textbook," adds Yassira. "A book might cut some stuff out, but once you get to D.C. you’ll understand more."
Their trip was hosted by the Close Up organization, whose program is "the perfect complement to middle school American history courses, [bringing] locations, lessons, and events from the classroom to life!"
The 8th-graders were awed to visit sites steeped in so much history, including the Vietnam Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and Smithsonian Museum. "The Smithsonian was really cool – we saw the Hope Diamond. I'm surprised Willie doesn't have more things to say," John says, grinning at Willie in the next seat over.
"It was really interesting seeing the Vietnam Memorial,” says Willie, quickly rising to John's goodnatured challenge. "We got to see how many people fought, and there were vets there to honor their brothers in the war. We also saw the historical documents that showed how our rights are being preserved so that we can all know our rights as citizens."
Representing Oakland
While the close-up look at American history was clearly unforgettable, Frick's kings and queens wanted to make their own memorable impression as they represented their school, their neighborhood, and the city of Oakland in Washington, D.C.
"We felt some pressure," says Styliyah, "to carry ourselves with respect and courtesy."
As one Close Up instructor attests, they did not disappoint. “They [did] fantastic. In fact I've never seen a school [in] their very first year at Close Up not have homesickness or schedule issues.” (Watch this video testimonial here.)
"We were really proud of them," says 8th-grade teacher Susan Rafert, who chaperoned the trip along with fellow teacher Stacey Berry. "Adults came up to me frequently – from flight attendants to leaders of the Close Up program – and gave our kids so many great compliments."
Frick's 8th-graders also connected with the other students taking part in the Close Up program. "We loved meeting people from other parts of the country," says Willie. "They were all nice and I learned about their towns and what they did for fun out there, and they asked us about Oakland and what we do out here." The kids met students and teachers from Texas, Hawaii, New York, and more. "It was easy making friends with the New York people," recalls Aujahnee. "They were really friendly." Several kids are now Facebook friends with the students they met in D.C.
During the post-trip interviews for this newsletter, Principal Jerome Gourdine pops in to praise Frick’s D.C. 13. Before he can say a word, from the back of the room Cintia exclaims, "Mr. Gourdine, we were the ones [the Close Up staff] respected the most out there!"
"I'm really proud of you," says Gourdine. "Hopefully this spurred your appetite to travel around the country. This is one of the highlights of the year for me. When people see and hear what’s really going on in Oakland, they're blown away. You represented yourselves like the kings and queens you are."
No comments:
Post a Comment