FO Science Olympiad Visits DC: Day 2 Adventures

DC Day 2 started bright and early with alarms going off at 6:30 am. We all showered last night so we could be nice and clean for sweet dreams. This enabled us to get moving more quickly this morning. The Embassy Suites Hotels laid out a fabulous breakfast buffet for everyone staying in the hotel. We took full advantage of all that was offered. Our choices ranged from the everyday cereal and bagels to an omelet bar, pancakes, French toast, bacon, potatoes and eggs.

Our first stop of the day was the monuments and memorials that stem from the Washington Monument. First up was a statue of John Paul Jones who captained several ships during the American Revolution and thus became a celebrated hero showing that one could succeed through personal achievement and a little hard work, and was not relegated to what one is born into. Next up was the World War II memorial where we saw how the memorial was built to show the states that fought in the Pacific as well as the ones that fought in the Atlantic. The Jefferson memorial was quite a walk, so we stopped to gaze at it from afar before morning on to the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool. As we were walking by the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial we were talking with the kids about how Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech from the steps of the memorial. Our final memorial stop was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where we began with the Statue of the Three Soldiers and then walked by the most well-known portion which is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Out of respect for those lost or fallen, we walked through this portion in silence.

Here are our students posing for a picture in front of the Washington Monument.

World War II Memorial

A view of the Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This is the view MLK Jr. would have had as he gave his speech.

Lincoln Memorial

Next up on our Day 2 adventure was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Upon arrival we began by exploring the space portion of the museum. Then we took a brief break to take in a movie entitled “Dynamic Earth” in the Albert Einstein Planetarium where we learned about the currents of ocean and wind as well as hurricanes and volcanoes. When the movie was over we made a brief stop to peruse the museum gift shop before we headed out.

We are ready to see the movie!

After this we made a stop at the Cannon House Office Building to visit Representative Gingrey’s office. While there we dropped off letters that the kids wrote to Representative Gingrey explaining how much they enjoy receiving the Backpack Blessings from Mt. Bethel UMC. The Backpack Blessings have been going on for the past two years providing nearly 200 backpacks full of snacks and food for students to eat during the weekends. Mt. Bethel UMC is working on getting its Backpack Blessings established as a non-profit organization and is hoping for a bit of help from Representative Gingrey.

A letter that John wrote to Representative Gingrey expressing how much he liked receiving a Backpack Blessings backpack from Mt. Bethel UMC.

A group photo outside of Representative Gingrey’s office in the Cannon House Office Building.

Leaving Representative Gingrey's office after dropping off our letters and a backpack from Mt. Bethel UMC.

While we were not able to meet Congressman Gingrey because the House was not in session, we were given passes to enter the House Chambers. After checking our bags at a security checkpoint, we headed to the House Chambers. A kind police officer explained several key points of interest to us. The seals of each state resembled bottle caps and were located on the ceiling of the chamber. Famous law makers such as Sulieman, Moses and Justinian were carved in the crown molding. We also learned that every other row of seats on the House floor contained a box with a green button, a red button, an orange button and a black slot. When Representatives cast a vote, they slide their ID into the black slot and then push a button. The green means yes, the red no and the orange is present which means that the Representative abstained from voting.  Directly across from the Chamber viewing area were four fabric panels that are a bit darker than the other panels. This is because behind the panels are LED screens that show each Representatives name in alphabetical order along with their corresponding vote. Sadly we were not allowed to have cellphones, cameras and other electronic devices with us so there are no pictures of the House Chambers.

The National Archives was next up on our itinerary for Day 2. There was quite a long wait to get in so we entertained ourselves by playing the “Signs” game. The weather during our trip has been quite hot, so were thankful to enter the cool air conditioning of the National Archives. Once inside we headed up to see the US Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. This was perhaps one of my favorite parts thus far as I am related to Robert Morris who signed the Declaration of Independence. It was a bit hard to read the signatures on the Declaration of Independence, but I was able to see the light scrawl of Morris’ signature.

We jogged catty-corner across the street from the Archives to go to the Natural History Museum. After going through security we had a little surprise for the kids. A family friend of mine is a Secret Service Agent and he met us at the museum. We stepped into a corner of the museum’s lobby where the kids got to ask questions about what a Secret Service Agent does, how you become an Agent, and so much more.

                          A snapshot our surprise meet and greet with a Secret Service Agent.

     A group photo with our surprise guest! The kids loved meeting a real-life Secret Service Agent!

After our Q&A with the Secret Service Agent, the kids went on to explore the Natural History Museum. Here are some fun pictures of our adventures:

For dinner we went back to the National Mall at the corner of 7^th and Madison. While we waited for the pizza to be delivered we alternated between playing tag and lounging around enjoying the gorgeous weather. From our location in the National Mall we were able to enjoy the music from an outdoor concert at National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden while devouring pizza from We The Pizza.

Finishing up our dinner in the National Mall.

Once our stomachs were stuffed we boarded the metro to head back to our hotel. The kids easily fell into what is becoming a routine to them of writing in their journals, taking turns in the shower and writing postcards to mail to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts.

We have another full day of DC sights tomorrow so it’s off to bed for a good night’s rest!

Check back in tomorrow to see our Day 3 DC adventures!