The Class of 2024 in Washington, D.C.

Early Monday morning on March 9, we boarded a plane to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Our first stop after landing was the Museum of the Bible. We explored several exhibits of the Old and New Testaments. That night, we went on a walk in the National Mall from the United States Capitol Building to the Washington Monument. Finally, we ended our evening at the Iwo Jima Memorial--a monument that honors the fallen soldiers on the Island of Iwo Jima during World War II. 

On day two, we woke up early to go to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where we saw many things including John Paul Jones’s tomb, the Sanctuary and the ballroom. After the tour, we enjoyed lunch at their diner. When we returned to Washington, D.C, we went to the National Archives which has important U.S. documents and the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights documents. 

That afternoon, we went to the Holocaust Museum, which taught us the history of World War II and what Europe and the world had to endure during that time. That night, we went ice skating. It was so much fun and was a highlight of the trip!

In the morning, we toured monuments and memorials that included the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. Later, we went to Arlington National Cemetery and saw John F. Kennedy’s grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

A special tradition for SBS eighth graders is to witness and partake in a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On behalf of Second Baptist School, Keenan Bonner ’24, Regan Gamble ’24, Elizabeth Loeffler ’24 and Nick Terril ’24 had the honor of placing the SBS banner on the tomb. After lunch, we visited the World War II Memorial, across from the Lincoln Memorial. Later that night we went on a dinner cruise for a night of fine dining and a dance floor, which the Class of 2024 took over. 

The next day we visited the International Spy Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. We then traveled to Mount Vernon in Virginia, George Washington’s house and his tomb. As our last night in D.C., we toured the Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorials. 

Friday morning we took the traditional group picture in front of the White House. Our last stop was at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. 

This trip was one we will never forget as the years go by. We would like to thank Second Baptist School and our parents for giving us this amazing opportunity to go to D.C. and experience firsthand what we learned in the history classroom this year.