The Round Table

Leaving the confines of Kennett Middle School with 120 eighth grade students for five days on the annual Mecca to Washington, D.C. may not excite everyone, but for this principal it is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. The responsibilities of the Washington trip are greater than most weeks of the school year, but yet I relish in the opportunity to participate in this venture. The main reason for my excitement is that beginning on Monday at 5:00 am through Friday at 6:00 am, the focus is entirely on our students.

From the questions of what city is that (driving by Concord, NH)? To statements of, “I have never been out of New Hampshire”.  Every part of the trip is a learning experience for our students. Who knew that an escalator would be so intriguing that a fourteen-year-old boy would take trips up and down repeatedly for fifteen minutes? To experience the memorials, monuments and museums on a personal level will stay with these children forever. Physical, intellectual, emotional and social learning are integrated throughout the week.

Allowing students to be young adolescents while representing themselves and their community respectfully doesn’t happen by chance, as evidenced by other middle school groups on the trip. The agenda was planned with a balance of complete structure (tours of the National Cathedral, National Archives, War Memorials,  and Wreath Laying at Arlington Cemetery), to events allowing for more freedom (playing on the lawns of the Washington Monument, lunch on the Mall, field games at the 4H Center, and the dinner dance cruise on the Potomac River).  Each event was an experience in itself for the students to file away and reflect upon as they advance through their life.

The visit to the Capital building brought with it an introduction of U. S. Senator John Sununu by none other than former KMS and KHS alumni Chip Kennett.  Following Senator Sununu’s greeting, I couldn’t help but recognize Chip as a former student and friend who sat on the very Capital steps that the students were seated. Chip relayed his story of how he ended up working in the Capital. It was nice to hear a success story from one of our own. After a busy day of sightseeing and walking, we ended our almost perfect evening visiting the World War II Memorial (I recommend seeing this at night).  It is one of the newer memorials in DC with waterfalls and illuminations abounding. Students sought out the tribute to New Hampshire before traveling to the Washington Monument for the closing thoughts for the day. At the elevated base of the Washington, the group gathered together to recognize how lucky they were to experience their trip to our Nation’s Capital. Pointing out all of the tributes to our Nation, the Lincoln Memorial to the west, the Capital building to the east, the White House to the north, overlooking the WW II Memorial and Arlington Cemetery only reinforced how important it is to recognize and celebrate our country’s rich history. This will not be a scene that I will soon forget. 

The juxtaposition of our final day’s itinerary hit me on the bus ride out of Maryland. Students learned of our great advancement in travel and technology at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  From Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis  Transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927 to the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, students celebrated and appreciated the contributions to advancing our society. Students gleefully toured the facility with some experiencing the simulated “Dog Fights” of air battle. Our trip to the Air and Space was followed by a brief trip to the Museum of Natural History with aglimpse of the Hope Diamond, before proceeding to the National Holocaust Museum. Students have been studying about the atrocities of the Holocaust for the past few weeks, but it wasn’t until I experienced the anguish with them that I knew that these middle school students understood the agony of this genocide. Hardly a word was spoken for an hour and a half as the students traveled from the fifth floor down through the museum. Quotes from Elie Wiesel’s Night were no longer just words in a book that was read in Language Arts class. The mound of shoes on display from concentration camp victims, belonging to people of their own age, hit home with many of our students. The stories and the pictures were observed and processed with respect and dignity. The looks of disgust as other students noisily and rapidly passed by made me acknowledge that the time spent at KMS in preparation for D.C. was well worth the time and effort. The question asked of students in our group consisted of “How could this have happened?” and “How come we didn’t do anything about this until it was too late?” These questions and others resonated throughout the day.

Our final farewell walk to the U.S. Post Office Pavilion included a leisurely stroll by the White House.  Last minute gifts were purchased; some took the glass elevator tour to the 12th floor for a final glimpse of D.C., while others rested their weary feet. Twelve hours later students rejoiced with their parents and relatives, soon to be snoozing in their own beds. I hope that the students will think back and remember the “moments” they spent in D.C. with a smile on their face… I know I will.