Instant Update: Reflections on the 2017 JGMS Washington Trip

By Tim Bennett

Last Tuesday morning at 6 AM, I and the other Bedford eighth-graders (and their disconsolate parents) gathered outside the JGMS in the cold drizzle, eagerly awaiting the four busses that would take us, and some teachers, to Washington DC.  The trip to Washington took us until four o’clock (with a few stops on the way), but the time flew by as we played, watched a movie, and chatted.  We first visited the MLK, FDR, and Jefferson memorials and enjoyed the nice weather.  One of the highlights of that area was all of the ducklings that we saw swimming around.  After visiting the Pentagon 9/11 memorial, and having dinner at Union station, we checked into the hotel. After hanging out, and playing games for a while, we headed to bed.

Images in the gallery below are all (c) 2017 Tim Bennett, all rights reserved – Double-click each one to see it at full size

On Wednesday, the breakfast buffet was a big hit.  Afterward, we headed out for another packed day.  We visited the Iwo Jima Memorial, saw the Constitution and Declaration of Independence at the National Archive, and participated in a ceremony in the Arlington National Cemetery.  The trip to the Holocaust museum was very moving and informative.  In the Natural History Museum, I examined minerals while wearing 3-D glasses that made them more sparkly.  We had dinner at a local mall, then visited a recreation center for swimming, diving, and indoor games in the gym.  Then we headed back to the hotel, and went to bed immediately, and definitely didn’t play games and talk all night.

Thursday morning, after enjoying the breakfast buffet again, we headed to the Capitol building for a tour.  The highlight of the tour was all of the statues in the halls and rooms.  Unfortunately, the lines at the Capitol were a little too long (because of Comey’s hearing) so we didn’t have time to see the Library of Congress.  Next was the new Museum of African-American History, and the culture section was excellent. Then we headed to the zoo for lunch, and some outside time looking at the animals.  An elephant was kicking a ball around the new, large, elephant area.  One panda was roaming its pasture with a box on its head, and one was laying on its back sleeping.  After that, we saw a large part of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum and another place where you could stand in front of a green screen and be a news reporter… I guess it worked?  After a quick stop to see the White House, and treat the inhabitant with the respect and dignity that he merits, we headed off to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  The vegetarian burrito was delicious. Following that was an evening tour of the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.  Then back to the hotel at 9:30… where we once again went straight to bed after diligently packing, and didn’t play games for three hours.

On Friday, after breakfast, we cleared out our rooms and said goodbye to the hotel, then headed off to Mt. Vernon.  It was a really pretty area, but the house was smaller than I expected.  After that, we started the long trip home.  And after a much quieter trip back, we arrived back in Bedford at 11 PM to greet our parents and wipe the tears from their faces.