Yorktown students travel through history

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  Yorktown and Cuero students pose in front of the Washington National Cathedral. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

  Yorktown and Cuero students pose in front of the Washington National Cathedral. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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  Yorktown students pose in front of the Space Shuttle Discovery. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

  Yorktown students pose in front of the Space Shuttle Discovery. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
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  Yorktown students pose in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial.

  Yorktown students pose in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial.
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  Yorktown students pose in front of a statue of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

  Yorktown students pose in front of a statue of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

From June 1 to June 7, 2024, 17 Yorktown students, parents, a grandparent and a teacher were part of an educational tour of Washington, DC, along with a group from Cuero Junior High. The group was led by Sean Douglas, a teacher in Cuero, and Coach Val Acree, a teacher and coach in Yorktown. This is the third straight year that students from Yorktown have attended this trip through WorldStrides.

On June 1, the group boarded a charter bus in Cuero which took them to San Antonio. Then, they flew out of San Antonio International Airport and landed in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Thurgood Marshall International Airport. The group’s first stop was the Washington Monument, where they took the elevator up over 500 feet to the observation deck and were able to get an amazing view of Washington, DC.

Yorktown 8th grader Jayce Vasquez said, “I loved going all the way up to the top of the Washington Monument and seeing the whole city from a helicopter view.”

Yorktown 8th grader Hudson Edmondson said, “The Washington Monument was my favorite because you could see most of the places that we visited.”

After lunch at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center Food Court, the next stop was the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, where the group saw the Hall of Nations, as well as many various artworks. Afterwards, the group headed to Charlottesville, Virginia, and checked into their hotel.

On Day Two, the group went to Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. They toured the inside of his mansion, saw many artifacts and books that Jefferson had collected and also viewed his study and bedroom. Many of the items were brought back to Jefferson from Lewis and Clark’s Expedition that explored the territory acquired in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. They also toured the grounds, seeing the slave quarters, family cemetery and the fully functional garden.

Several of the students cited Monticello as being their favorite place visited. Yorktown 8th grader Allie Geffert said, “My favorite place that we went to was Monticello because it was really cool seeing the old building so well preserved.”

Yorktown 8th grader Evelyn Merks also liked Monticello and said, “I like seeing all the different things everywhere and inside his house.”

8th grader Leighton Kirchoff said, “My favorite was Monticello, because it was cool seeing the Jefferson house and walking on the same floor Jefferson did. Also the mountains were really pretty to see.”

8th grader Katie Bolting said, “I liked Monticello, because it inspired me to learn about Thomas Jefferson’s family, especially his daughters.”

Afterward, the group enjoyed a delicious fried chicken lunch at the Michie Tavern, which has been in operation since 1784. After lunch, the group took a tour of James Madison’s Highland plantation, which is located just down the road from Monticello.

Next, the group drove back into Washington, D.C. and visited several memorials. First, they stopped at the World War I Memorial. After dinner at The Hive pizzeria, the group visited the Jefferson Memorial. As the sun set, the group made two final stops at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Then, the group checked into their hotel in Falls Church, Virginia.

On Day Three, the group began the day with a trip to the United States Capitol, where they also went inside and toured the Capitol Visitors Center.

After that, the group received a tour of the Washington National Cathedral. The breath-taking building is the fifth largest cathedral in the world and has been the site of funeral services for many American presidents. An interesting fact about the cathedral is that one of the stained glass windows has a moon rock embedded in it that was brought back from the Apollo 11 mission and presented to the cathedral by Astronaut Michael Collins, who served as an altar boy in the cathedral as a child.

Then, the group went to the National Holocaust Museum, a very somber place filled with many exhibits and memories of that horrific time before and during World War II.

Yorktown 8th grader Palyn Koopman said, 'The Holocaust was my favorite place, because I was quite interested in it before we went!”

Next, the group went to the National Air and Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy Center), where they saw the Space Shuttle Discovery, the SR-71 Spy Plane, and many other airplanes and helicopters from various wars and historical eras.

Yorktown 8th grader Ryleigh Gallegos said, “The Air and Space Museum was my favorite place we went. I really have a passion for space and want to work for NASA one day.”

The final trip of the day was to the very solemn Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. The group was lucky enough to speak to a docent, who had worked at the Pentagon and was inside at the time it was struck. He very eloquently gave his thoughts on that infamous day.

Day Four started with a trip to George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. The group received a tour of the mansion and the grounds, where they saw Washington’s tomb, as well as a monument created to honor the slaves that died on the plantation. The group also saw the breath-taking view of the Potomac River from the back porch of the mansion.

Inside the Washington Museum, the group watched a video on the American Revolution, which included simulated cannon and musket fire, as well as snow.

Yorktown 8th grader Melody Rogers said,” I liked seeing the presidents’ houses (Mount Vernon and Monticello). It was cool to see what they lived in and we saw a lot of things that are not in houses today.”

The next stop was the relatively new National Museum of the United States Army, which opened in 2020. The group saw exhibits on every war era that the US Army has served in. They also saw an amazing wall that listed every Army Medal of Honor of Winner, including Roy Benavidez from DeWitt County.

Yorktown 8th grader Joel Chacon said, “The Army Museum was my favorite place! All of the history there was very interesting to me.”

After that, the tour visited the National Archives and was able to see the actual Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. From there, the group made a quick stop at the National Portrait Gallery, which has a painting of every President, before heading to Nationals Park to watch the Washington Nationals and New York Mets play a baseball game. The group had a lot of fun and the group even made an appearance on the stadium Jumbotron. The Mets won, 6-3.

Next week, part 2 of the trip continues.