History was taken from textbooks to hands-on experience, when the A.P. United States History and A.P. Government classes travelled to Washington D.C. for a day full of sightseeing and learning, on May 20th. The Marine Corps Museum, National Museum of American History, memorials, and Potomac Mills were all stops on the field trip.

“My favorite part about the trip was exploring the Marine Corps museum, because the museum created exhibits similar to walking through battle scenes,” senior Kylie Cargill said. “It was so interesting, because I could actually walk through real events written in our history textbooks.”

Memorials throughout Washington D.C. honor fallen American soldiers and other prominent figures in American history. Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and various war memorials are present in Washington D.C..

“The memorials were really nice. It made me sad but also very thankful for all of the people that fought to protect our country,” Cargill said. “Also, there was a memorial outside of the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico that almost made me cry because they were not just names, but it included personal pictures, names, and how they died.”

Multiple students experienced a new found appreciation for the historical museums and memorials. Learning the background of American history and government led to a deeper understanding of the exhibits throughout the museums.

“I used to think museums were really boring but I have started to respect the hard work that goes into putting together an exhibit and the history behind the exhibit. In general, the museums were really cool and very well put together, great exhibits,” junior Sarah Marks said. “Also, being with my classmates was a lot of fun and it helped knowing that we all had the shared interest to learn more from the museums and exhibits.”

The field trip ended with a trip to Potomac Mills. Potomac Mills is a shopping center with diverse activities and stores from shoe stores to local vendors.

“Potomac mills was beautiful. I didn’t get any clothes or shoes, but I did get a philly cheesesteak for dinner and ice cream which was amazing,” Marks said. “It was the time at the end of the trip where we talked about how great the day was and reminisced about some of the funny stories from the day.”