Eleven Wayne High students and teacher Josh Johnson traveled to the east coast in late May to learn about the workings of the U.S. government.
The group traveled to Washington, DC and New York City to take part in the educational trip through the Close Up Foundation.
The Close Up Foundation's mission statement is to inform, inspire and empower young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Wayne's students and teachers have taken part in the program for 30+ years.
The program involves workshops, debates, mock congress, meeting of U.S. Congressmen/women and/or their staff, visits to memorials and much more.
The Wayne group arrived in Washington, DC on Sunday, May 25 and got right to work. With a few hours before orientation, the Wayne group jumped on the metro and went to Arlington National Ceremony. This was a great opportunity to see the national cemetery the day before Memorial Day. Students were able to lay a flower at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and see the changing of the guard.
The rest of the week saw the kids learning first hand about the memorials (Jefferson, MLK, Lincoln, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and many more) and what they represent. Nightly workshops would tie each day together and discuss how it affects them today.
May 28 brought a lot of rain and a trip to the United States Capitol. The Wayne group was able to meet with Kennedy Stowater, the Communications Director for North Carolina Representative David Rouzer, and get a tour of the Capitol. Stowater is a 2013 graduate of Wayne High and went on this very trip with Mr. Johnson in May of 2012. The students were able to get a VIP tour and got to hang out on the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's balcony and on the House of Representatives floor.
After the tour the students were able to head down to the Archives and see the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Then it was on to the Holocaust Museum and a solemn view of a sad time in history. The day ended with a stroll through Georgetown and some cupcakes.
May 29 was another busy day for the students. Another metro ride took the students to the White House and a view of the house of the President. The group then took a stroll to the Hard Rock Cafe and toured Ford's theater & Petersen House, the location of President Lincoln's assassination. After lunch the group visited the Air & Space Museum and then up the hill to see the Library of Congress.
The five days in D.C. were jam packed with lots of different activities. May 30 would bring a four-hour bus ride to rest, recoup and get ready for a few days in New York City. Students were thrown into the deep end of the pool right away and the next three days in NYC were full of fun and educational activities. Students got a walking tour/workshop of Central Park and then toured the New York Metropolitan Art Museum (the MET). That evening the group got to have supper at Bubba Gump's in Time Square before attending the Broadway Show The Great Gatsby. The Broadway show is a highlight each year and this year was not any different.
The kids were off and running again on Saturday (May 31) starting with a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This was a great opportunity for the students to learn the importance of the immigration process and how these two places meant so much to so many people throughout that process. The rest of the day had the students walking through lower Manhattan and through the Financial District on their way to the 9/11 Memorial. The evening saw the students eating in Little Italy and learning how to "shake their napkins." The night ended with a trip to the observation deck on the top of the Edge. An unbelievable view and scary glass floor view that will leave you speechless.
June 1 was a bit of a free day in NYC and the students went a few different directions. Two students toured the 9/11 Museum while the rest of the crew hit the Ghostbusters firehouse headquarters and took another walk through Central Park. The group all met back up in Time Square after lunch for the trip to the airport and back to Nebraska.
Mr. Johnson has taken students on this 10+ times and has loved every trip. Other teachers over the past 25 years include Annette Rasmussen, Brendan Dorcey and Matt Schaub. Every group of students have been unbelievable.
"Wayne has great kids and they are so respectful of everything on the trip," said Johnson. "They learn a ton and walk miles all the while doing it with a smile (mostly). As a teacher I use so much from what happens on this trip in my Senior Government class. Students have their program and the teachers have theirs."
Johnson added, "as a teacher, I have been able to visit battlefields, travel to more obscure memorials, go behind the scenes at the Archives and so much more. This year I spent two days learning more about the Abolition movement and then the assassination of President Lincoln and the ramifications of that event. All in all, the trip is a great educational activity for all."
This trip is something Wayne Community Schools hopes the students remember the rest of their lives. Mr. Johnson went on this program as a student in the spring of 1995 and still remember a lot from that experience.
Wayne looks forward to continuing to offer this program for many years to come to give students the opportunity to visit these great locations.
