One hundred fifty-five students and adults from Garfield County School District recently traveled with Pete Peterson, principal of Bryce Valley Elementary, to Washington, DC. Mr. Peterson has organized groups for the past 18 years and shared his passion and experience with the entire district this year, booking flights, lodging, places to eat, and venues to visit, pre-paying to reduce price bumps in the journey.
The six-day itinerary is illustrative of his organizational skills, including three Smithsonian museums, the National Archive, the Mall with its many monuments, the Library of Congress and the Capitol Building. They met at the Holocaust Museum with Utah’s newly-elected congresswoman Celeste Maloy, who replaced Christ Stewart, attended Ford’s Theater to watch “A Christmas Carol,” walked through Mount Vernon in the rain, and, importantly, visited Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where local students had the honor of placing two wreaths.
Add to that the whole metropolitan experience of eating at the Hard Rock Café, seeing sky-scraping buildings soar overhead, riding the metro and flying 3,000 miles round trip. It was quite an eye-opening experience for rural youth and adults alike, many of whom had never been east of the Mississippi River.
In order to summarize their experiences, we asked a few participants three questions: what surprised them the most, what was their favorite experience or site, and what is their most important takeaway?
“The thing that surprised me the most was how well three very competitive communities got along,” Mr. Peterson answered. “My favorite experience was watching eight youth from our county lay two wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is breathtaking and spiritually uplifting. I learned that 160 people could move around the city without incident. The size took away some of the intimacy of the stories, but the group at large was doable.”
“I know that kids need this,” Mr. Peterson continued. “I know they need to understand history and government. I know they need to be civic-minded rather than individual-minded. I know they need to be patriotic. That’s why I do this.”
Following is a summary of the other responses.
What surprised you the most:
How big the memorials and statues are. The buildings had unbelievable architecture from long ago without the use of current equipment. Every inch of the Library of Congress is detailed and ornate.
Ford’s Theater, where Lincoln was shot, and the Peterson House, where he died. I couldn’t believe I was in the actual spot where that history took place.
The Washington Monument is the tallest freestanding stone structure in the world. There were 480-490 floors!
At the top of the Washington Monument, I could see most of the city! When we were going down, I could see the bricks had things carved into them, and each state donated a stone for the monument.
Making it on the plane and off surprised me.
I thought with all the walking we were doing, we would lose our legs, but we didn’t!
I got to go to the top of the Washington Monument and learned it’s a structure with no paste to hold it together.
What surprised me the most was how there were diagonal sidewalks.
When we were on Mount Vernon, we saw a camel.
It rained really well on one of the days.
What surprised me the most was definitely the plane rides.
How massive the Washington Monument is. It is 555ft tall!
What was your favorite experience or site?
The Holocaust Museum was humbling and very touching.
Brigham Young’s statue in the Capitol Rotunda. The awe-inspiring architecture of the Capitol Building.
My favorite site was either the Washington Monument or Mount Vernon because the Washington Monument really stood out like a giant pencil. At Mount Vernon, it was raining, and we saw George Washington’s house and yard.
My favorite site was the Washington Monument because we got to go up into the monument and see the great view.
Surviving the plane was my favorite experience.
My favorite place that we went to was the Air and Space Museum because there was lots of stuff that I could interact with. I liked the Lincoln Memorial because the statue was really big and I had always wanted to go there.
The view from the Washington Monument was awesome. It was so high that I could see 20 monuments nearby.
My favorite site was Mount Vernon because that was where George Washington lived.
My favorite site was the [LDS] temple because it had lots of Christmas lights, and it was beautiful.
My favorite experience was going to the Library of Congress.
Mount Vernon, which is George Washington’s home and farm. He was an avid farmer and had a beautiful land.
What was your most important takeaway?
How appreciative I am of how the Constitution was established and how it was put in place.
The history of this nation. I didn’t realize what a big farmer George Washington was. He was more like common folk compared to our current politicians.
The most important thing I learned was that Washington’s teeth were made out of slave and cattle teeth, not wood.
How to survive a plane is my important takeaway because I want to live.
The most important thing I learned was that we should just keep going until we drop.
I think the most important thing I learned was at the Holocaust Museum. Although it was sad, it’s good to learn from it so we don’t repeat it.
I learned that the Nazis killed the Jews long ago. I learned how mean life was long ago.
The most important thing that I learned is to be right in front of someone. It is important because if you aren’t, you will get left.
The most important thing I learned was that there are tunnels in the capitol building. This is important because I think lots of people think this is a myth.
I felt a special kind of power there. One of great significance in our world. Before our nation started, there was no nation that saw the people as having rights. In other countries, it was a government or king that distributed the rights. America was a revolutionary way of thinking.
Thank you Pete Peterson and everyone involved for creating this opportunity to appreciate what a great nation America was designed to be.
– The Byway
Feature image caption: The entire group of Garfield County 6th Graders stand at the entrance of Mount Vernon during their trip to Washington DC in December. Courtesy of Pete Peterson.
