Hate To See It End

By now, most of our students should be well on their way to recovery. I am just now starting to feel a little rested. What a fantastic week. We ended our visit to the nation's capital by spending the day visiting museums on the National Mall. Because the day was spent in small groups, today's pictures will be limited in number.

We all started the day at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Many of the kids headed straight to the flight simulators. While not heavy on history, they are a lot of fun and always a popular part of our final day. Without enough time to see everything that the museum has to offer, the kids headed off to see something that was of interest to them - some at the Wright Flyer, others at space displays, and some at the military flight exhibits. We ended our time at Air & Space by eating lunch at the museum food court.

As has become custom, I gave the kids some choice for their second museum stop. Mrs. Bigelow and Mrs. Zoda took a group to the National Gallery of Art, and the rest headed over to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Again, more than one could ever hope to see in one visit. From the gem collection (including the Hope Diamond) and dinosaur hall, to exhibits on sea life and mammals, to an exhibit on the history of human existence. The kids were given two hours to explore as they wished.

To end the day, the two groups met at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Though worn out by this time, the kids spent two final hours exploring the exhibits offered.

With as much as we were able to see over the past week, it is only a fraction of what Washington, DC has to offer. I really hope that the kids have the opportunity to return from time to time for further exploration. I trust that each student has come away from this trip with their favorite stops, best museum picks, and so forth. My hope is that all gained some appreciation for their country's history, as well as the people and events that shaped it.

It is important to point out here how pleased I was with the behavior of our students over the past week. At each stop we made, the Swift Creek group was always among the best behaved and most respectful. And believe me, there were many groups at each venue.

I also want to thank the teacher chaperones - Ms. Smith, Mrs. Zoda, Mrs. Bigelow, and Mr. Lynch - who sacrificed a week of their classroom time to help make this trip run smoothly. It's always nice to have a member of our administration join us, and I want to thank Mr. Burgess for filling that role this year.

Finally, thank you to each parent who committed themselves to having their child participate in this incredible experience. I know that this requires quite a bit of sacrifice. Thank you.

Now for the final day pics: