Christian Academy returns from Capitol trip

It used to be that a school field trip meant packing up a peanut butter sandwich and a can of pop and traveling somewhere on a bus for a day of either fun or education. Sometimes both were included.

These days, students have opportunities to travel to far-flung and exotic places for their field trips. The journey may involve several means of travel, long delays, culture shock and lost baggage. All in the name of education.

The eighth graders at Sisters Christian Academy recently returned from such a trip. It wasn't all that exotic - Washington, D.C. isn't exactly listed alongside the Caribbean in travel brochures - but it certainly rounded out studies that the students had been immersed in for months.

Deborah Halsten is the student's history teacher, and her emphasis for the eighth-grade year is American History, specifically the Founding Fathers, Jamestown and the Revolutionary War. Students know that eighth grade is when a major trip happens and the excitement is palpable.

"Students start looking forward to the trip from the earliest grades, because 10 percent of all the money raised in our annual Walk-Jog-a-thon goes toward their eighth-grade D.C. fund," said Halsten.

The itinerary included the Capitol and Library of Congress, the National Archives and the Supreme Court. They visited various Smithsonian museums and the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, home to the space shuttle Enterprise, the SR-71 and the French Concorde jet. War memorials, changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum were also on the agenda, as were nighttime tours of the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.

Leaving the city, the group toured Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, Jamestown and the battlefield at Yorktown (site of the final battle of the Revolutionary War).

Prior to the trip, the students each picked two of the sites to be visited and researched them. They presented their findings to the class before the trip, and because of their knowledge, were able to be tour guides to some of the accompanying parents.

Parent Carla Schneider took on the role of tour logistics commander.

"This was the first year we've gone totally on our own," said Halsten. "It was definitely the best way to go; Carla was an absolute marvel."

Funds were raised through a variety of channels. There were the annual Jog-a-thon funds, plus the school's fall auction and country store contributed. The students also ran a food stall at the Small Farmer's Journal auction in April. And individual families dug deep to allow their students this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for educational travel.

Plans are already underway for next year's trip, said Halsten.