By Scott Donnelly, Carnegie Fifth
Grade Teacher
A monstrous, black and orange
Anderson Coach bus turned onto Franklin
Avenue at 5:45 am and the quiet hum
of over 40 fifth graders from Carnegie
Elementary turned into screeches of
excitement. The anticipation of the trip,
planned earlier in the school year, reached
its pinnacle. Shivering from the early
morning chill typical for May, the students,
six parent chaperones and teachers Erin
Cummings, Scott Donnelly and Andrea
Harrity boarded the luxury bus en route to
Washington, DC.
Upon arrival in the nation’s capital,
the group was greeted by Paul Hartman,
aide to Congressman Tim Murphy, who
proceeded to highlight points of interest
in the Capitol Visitor’s Center. Hartman
engaged the group with the history of the
U.S. Capitol and pointed out interesting
aspects of the remarkable building with its
beautiful rotunda. The students concluded
this tour with a special VIP visit to the
Visitor’s Gallery on the floor of the U.S.
House of Representatives. This expedition
connected seamlessly with readings the
fifth graders completed on the branches of
United States government.
Student-groups were then allowed to
explore the nearby National Air and Space
Museum on their own. Many flocked to
see the Wright Brothers wing, took photos
with Amelia Earhart’s Vega, or climbed
inside an early NASA space capsule. Several
science lessons from the school year were
reinforced through the museum’s exhibits.
The rest of the day took the group along
the National Mall and Tidal Basin with
a popular photo-op at the Washington
Monument. Many students immediately
laid at its base, looked up and snapped
pictures from this interesting perspective.
Some, noticing the
different types of
stone used to build
the obelisk, yelled
out with pride when
recalling an article
read prior to the trip
about the monument’s
construction process.
Students and
chaperones were
guided on a stroll
through the beautiful
World War II Memorial
Students gathered for a group photo before the Lincoln Memorial.
The trip to D.C. in late May allowed the fifth graders to see, touch and
followed by a solemn
remember lessons learned in social studies during the school year.
walk through the
Vietnam Veterans
Memorial. A short
trek to the Lincoln
Memorial caused
thrills as fifth graders
could see firsthand
and remember
studying the building
on the back of a penny
during a Microworlds
science module. The
Korean War Veteran’s
The beautiful World War II Memorial, designed in a circular fashion
Memorial drew
and accented with fountains, provided open space to read legendary
amazement from
quotes inscribed on walls and to reflect on those who fought for
freedom from every state in the Nation.
most students with its
The Washington Monument, a focal point on
the National Mall, also made for a perfect spot
to capture photos and begin a trek across the
expanse to see other memorials and statues.
impactful, real-life statues and powerful
inscriptions. A stop was made at the
towering Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
The youngsters read many of Dr. King’s
famous quotes that lined surrounding
walls. Across the basin, the group observed
with interest the pristine Thomas Jefferson
Memorial.
Mrs. Cummings led the Carnegie convoy
back across the National Mall, strolling by
the soon-to-open National Museum of
African American History and stopping
to gaze and photograph the White House
and its South Lawn. Unfortunately, an
incident earlier that day had the White
House on lockdown and access to the
famous Pennsylvania Avenue