On April 13, 2022, student council and astronomy club members took a trip to Washington DC. Students were given the opportunity to see the nation’s capital.

Student council adviser Kimberly Shope planned the trip alongside Jessica Hogan, Stephanie McAleer, James Krug and the astronomy club. 

“Well, we had to look in to see what places were open and where we could take groups of students. We thought of places that would be educational but would be fun for the students. We obviously needed to get transportation locked up and costs of that as far as costs for anything that we did on the trip, plans for the meal stops and what that would be, so it was a lot of planning,” Shope said. “We sat down and came up with a time table once we were able to gather all those pieces of information together, and then we presented it to the students to see who was interested in attending, collected permission slips and medical forms, money, and gave them opportunities to fundraise if the cost was insurmountable for them personally. We planned to take snacks and things like that on the bus so that they had opportunities to eat and drink off and on as we did our stops.”

Shope wanted to give students the opportunity to go on an educational and fun trip all in one. 

“In all honesty, it was a reward for students who work in our group as well as Mr. Krug’s astronomy club. We’re a very busy club as is throughout the year: providing opportunities for the community as well as school students and staff to get involved in different activities,” Shope said. “We like to see ourselves also as a group that fosters leadership, so sometimes to do those types of things, you need experiences and getting an opportunity to see the nation’s capital and pieces of it, really not the whole thing we thought was a good idea.” 

Senior Christian Strawmier took time to prepare for the trip in case something happened.

“I first got all my clothes for the day together. I also got a bunch of snacks because I knew how long the bus ride would take,” Strawmier said. “I made sure to bring a blanket, so I could sleep on the bus and double checked to make sure I had a charger to keep my phone alive.”

Strawmier has been interested in the trip and hopes to have the chance to go back. 

“I really enjoyed the trip. I thought it was fun and a good way to learn about history and historical landmarks that are not too far away,’ Strawmier said. “I enjoyed the view in Washington D.C. and hope to go back again soon.”

Freshman Lia Sankey and junior Cameron Myers attended the trip as well. 

“To prepare, I made sure I knew where we were going during the trip and what the weather was going to be like. I packed a small bag based on the weather, and the activities we were going to be doing,” Sankey said. 

“I got all the things I needed for the bus trip and even packed things for if it rained,” Myers said.

Sankey and Myers agree that the trip was a good experience for the club.

“I really liked the trip. I thought the air and space museum was amazing, and I really loved seeing all the monuments in DC,” Sankey said. 

“I felt really excited to go in the first place, and once I had gotten there, it was amazing. I loved all the monuments we visited and even the outlets afterwards,” Myers said. 

Freshman Nevin Kelley prepared for the trip by making sure he had everything for long days. 

“I prepared by making sure I had all of my electronics and all the water I would need for the walks.”

Kelley had visited Washington DC for the first time and enjoyed the experience of going on the trip. 

“I really enjoyed the trip! It was great to see all of the monuments, and it greatly expanded my knowledge on the city and location as a whole,” Kelley said. “This was my first time ever being to DC. I would rate it 10/10 and would go again.”

Junior Miranda Arnold packed for the trip and made sure everything was ready. 

“I prepared for the trip by making sure I got plenty of sleep because I knew that we would be walking a lot and I made sure I had everything,” Arnold said.

Arnold got the experience of seeing the nation’s capitol more. 

“I thought that the trip was fun because we got to walk around DC and look at all of the monuments,” Arnold said. 

Arnold had been to DC before and had an idea of what to expect.

“I went to Washington DC at the end of my sixth grade year,” Arnold said. 

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Courtesy of Stephanie McAleer