Walnut Grove: APUSH into DC

photo by WorldStrides.com

 A small group of Walnut Grove’s AP U.S. History class took a field trip to our nation's capital to see just how important what they learned in class can be. This is what they found out.
​by Brayden Downey

The students who had the opportunity to go on this trip stayed in Crystal City and had great things to say about it. Crystal City is a fascinating neighborhood in transformation. Its prime location along the Potomac offers stunning views of Washington, D.C., and the national monuments.

Evan Keller (10th), aspiring to become a U.S. diplomat, was lucky enough to take this fascinating trip and returned with some interesting takeaways. Keller said, "There were many opportunities to meet new people and I enjoyed that a lot. The number of people from all different backgrounds, views, and walks of life all in one place was interesting to me."

Caitlyn Coffey (10th), spoke about seeing the many different impressive monuments of Washington D.C. Not only was Coffey impressed by these monuments, Ethan Bohannon (10th) even went as far as to say - "The experience of seeing these monuments was surreal. You see them on TV all the time, but seeing them in person is an out-of-body experience."

Coffey followed, "On Sunday there were these Korean people having a service praying for those in North Korea. Not only was I able to see and learn about the political side of Washington. I also was able to see its cultural side."

Keller later gave a great example of how diverse all these groups were by saying - “...if you were to ask nearly any guy or even a good majority of the girls here at our school if they have ever been hunting or shot a gun before, almost every person you ask is going to say yes. In Washington D.C., a good majority of people had never even held a gun, let alone who had even seen a gun."

Keller continued, "...This wide variety of people from all different backgrounds gave me a much better perspective on the world around me and how different things can be in other places."

Keller & Caitlyn Coffey mentioned an opportunity each had in D.C. that they enjoyed called Mock Congress. Mock Congress was a way to simulate what a congressman or woman would be doing and a great way to teach students about the democratic process.

The group spent five days in D.C., many of them felt that all five days were well planned out. Keller said it best, "The trip truly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'll never get to be fifteen with these same people, in the same class, experiencing these things again." Ethan followed up that sentiment, "I felt that not only was I able to learn on this trip, I was able to connect better with my peers. Previously, I hadn't talked much to them, I feel that this trip allowed me to connect with those around me."