I share this overview with heartfelt gratitude for the incredible success of the Washington D.C. Middle School trip! It was a wonderful time filled with learning, sightseeing, and fellowship.

Over the past three years, our middle school students in grades 6-8 have prepared diligently for this adventure. On Monday, May 12th, we departed from the parking lot on a charter bus at 6:00 a.m. with 28 students and 9 adults, including Mrs. Berndt, Mrs. Aquino, and Mrs. Sklaka, along with supportive parents: Rev. David Solum, Beth McCoy, Gloria Grott, Steve Skalka, and Dexter Watkins.

After several stops for breaks and meals, we arrived at our hotel in D.C. around 7 p.m. Students were divided into rooms with chaperones, and everyone had specific duties and responsibilities, from census counting to bus cleaning.

Throughout the trip, we explored many significant monuments, memorials, and museums, including the Capitol, National Air & Space Museum, Holocaust Museum, and Arlington Cemetery. The discussions sparked by the various locations led to enriching conversations among the students.  Additional places of interest were:  the Smithsonian Natural and American Museum; Monuments of Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson; Memorials of Korean War, World War I, Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Franklin Roosevelt, Albert Einstein; Marine Memorial; US Navy Memorial; National Fallen Police Officers; Spy Museum; Kennedy Center; the North Portico to view the White House; and the Pentagon Memorial.

Each evening, we enjoyed fellowship as a group, returning to the hotel tired yet excited for the next day’s adventures. Finally, on Friday, May 16th, we returned to St. John’s during the Dust Bowl to a warm welcome from family and friends.

Thank you all for your unwavering support over the last three years and for your prayers for a safe trip.