March 11, 2024

 It was another packed day! We started our morning at Mount Vernon and explored President Washington's farm. We were able to go through his house, the grounds and lay a wreath at his tomb. Yossel, Amy, Mr. Battani and Mr. Kedley laid a wreath at George Washington's tomb. 

After exploring we went to a restaurant called Primo. It was a family style dinner and they continually brought out food to replenish our table. We also had some authentic baklava.

Next we headed to the Museum of the Army which was very similar to the Marine Corps Museum. Some students participated in a virtual reality experience while others explored the exhibits.

After the museum we headed to a picture stop at the white house before stopping at the Jefferson Memorial.

Dinner was at Eat Brgz before heading back to the National Mall to see the Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.

March 10, 2024

 It was a chilly and windy, but absolutely wonderful day! Our morning started with hotel breakfast this morning and it was a great spread! Breakfast included eggs, waffles, pastries, fresh fruit, potatoes, cereal and more! Everyone was a little sleepy this morning- with "springing forward" and losing a time for time zones our 6:00am wake-up call became like 4:00am.

Next, we headed to Arlington. It was a great morning and our crew saw many things in the cemetery. Our group was respectful as we walked around. I think a highlight was going to the Arlington House, which is the house at the highest point. There is a beautiful view of the city from there. In talking with people this evening, many said that the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was the highlight of their day.

After a quick bus switch we made our way to lunch before heading to the Smithsonian Museums. Many people ate at Good Stuff Eatery (amazing burgers!).

We all began at the African American History Museum. The museum is intense. It starts in the basement at slavery and as you rise in the building you learn about rising from slavery into the present. Groups were able to go at their own pace and some groups spent over 2 hours and going through the museum and saw less than half of the museum.  

Almost all groups then went to the American History museum. Some popular exhibits were Dorothy's ruby red slippers, R2-D2, the First Lady Inaugural dresses and the Presidents' exhibits. The Presidents' exhibit houses Lincoln's beaver skin hat and students were able to be the president and give a speech.  

We then headed to We, the Pizza. For dinner we got to select two slices of pizza to be cooked for us. They also had salad and cookies. Everyone seemed to enjoy this dinner location!

To close out the evening we went to the MLK Memorial, FDR Memorial and Iwo Jima. The MLK and FDR Memorials are along the Tidal Basin so it was a little windy and cold, but to be able to do them in the daylight was enjoyable. 

We headed back to the hotel early because everyone was tired. Hopefully everyone gets great sleep and are ready for another full day tomorrow!

March 9, 2024

 We have arrived!! After loading up at the high school this morning our trek to Kansas City went perfectly. We arrived in great time! 

Once we were through security everyone was able to get lunch. The closest places were a chicken place and a panini shop. We have never used the Jassby cards before (a debit card where they automatically put on $15 for each specified meal) but they worked great!

We have over 5 travelers who have never flown before. The flight to Baltimore went well- there was quite a bit of turbulence as we went through a storm, but everyone did really well! 

Once we arrived in Baltimore we went to baggage claim, many students got Starbucks, and then we met our bus driver, Pierre!

Baltimore airport to our dinner location took about an hour. Dinner was at a restaurant called District Taco. Travelers could select from tacos, burrito or bowl. I think most students enjoyed their meal! We also got to meet our tour director for DC, Buck. I can tell he is going to be great with our students! 

After dinner we were supposed to see the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Korean Memorial. However, it was down pouring, so we decided to make an adjustment and go to the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts instead. 

We entered through the Hall of Nations, saw Kennedy's bust and then went to the terrace and museum. The museum had a cool feature where it took your picture and could turn you into a portrait painting! Students also enjoyed walking around on the terrace and saw beautiful views of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. 

The students all seem to be meshing really well! People are helping each other and to see this camaraderie already on the trip is so exciting!

A message from the students:

 Jack- I really liked the museums we went to and all the monuments the ones I liked the best were the spy or the air and space museum and I like the Washington Monument because of how big it really was but the best part was at the end when we got to chill and swim.

Montana-I really liked going to the spy museum and the tea party because they showed you specific things and importunate events through a hands on perspective which helps to learn about them and their importance.

Skye- in my opinion the best part of the trip had to be the tomb of the unknown soldier or the red socks stadium. The tomb was an amazing display of loyalty and patriotism, just to see them march in the snow with such precise movement was just so baffling. The red socks stadium was a big thing I was excited for since I love baseball. All the cool photos and the history was amazing I plan on going back and watching a game hopefully with AJ there soon.

David-I had a very good time on this trip especially with all the history that you can find in D.C and Boston. When it come to what my favorite part of the trip was it is kinda of hard to pick because I liked everything we saw there. I will say the most memorable would be the USS Constitution, the National mall and all the memorials and Mount Vernon. There was one place that I would of liked to see on trip would be fort independence in Boston but we still got to see many places that other people don’t get to see and it was very enjoyable. 10/10 would go again.

Cooper- The best part of the trip for me the Natural History Smithsonian. I had a great time seeing the dinosaur and space exhibits. I had a fun time with my friends as well, and was able to buy Micah funny socks. I also enjoyed seeing the Marines museum. I respect everyone that is willing to protect our country, and I thought it was neat to see all of the things they have done. There where many quotes I enjoyed, one of which was “I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education, and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” It was very nice to meet Hector and Brad, and I hope to see them again.

Micah- This trip has definitely impacted my entire live and probably will be a great memory thatI have for the rest of my life. I loved being able to visualize the historic events that took place here. I absolutely love history and this trips was really able to give me the opportunity to learn more and actually see the things and places that I read about. The things I have seen are some things that some people in our country never are able to experience. I have made some amazing friends and collected amazing memories. Some of these memories include beating some people in a rap battle and walking a lot. I really hope to be able to come back and see more because I love traveling and history is a big part of my life. I also love being teddy’s cousin and making an impact on other people’s lives. Brad and Hector were amazing and as Hector once said, “ WASHINGTON MONUMENT,” while in Boston. Devante stole that by the way. I had so much fun and I can’t wait to see more of the world and our country.

DeVante- I think my favorite part of this trip was visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. This was my favorite part of the trip because I liked all of the quotes that were there. My favorite quote was “I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education, and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” I believe this quote is meaningful because he is saying that instead of focusing on things like war, violence, or hate, we should focus on things like peace, making sure everyone can get fed, and we should focus on education. All in all I believe this trip was a very good experience to learn and grow and as Hector once said “WASHINGTON MONUMENT”.

Mylee- I really liked seeing all of the monuments in DC. My grandpa was a marine and I enjoyed going to the marine corps museum to kind o learn about what he did. I also thought the 9/11 memorial was cool to see but it made me sad when I saw the flowers and photos stuck into the names.

Abbie- This trip was amazing all together and really fun to experience with everyone that was also on it. Meeting Brad and Hector was one of the best parts really. My favorite part was the Natural History museums, I liked learning all those things and seeing it all. Everyone was very kind that we met and it was very lovely getting to meet them all. I would recommend this trip to others and would hope they get to meet Brad and Hector. Teddy is an icon.  

Veronica- My favorite part about this trip was definitely the Library of Congress because of the beautiful wall prints and carved details on the roof and corners. It was very inspiring to see the many statues and paintings of women around the  museum. Although I appreciated the monuments of the women my favorite part of the Library of Congress was the quotes on the wall. For example, “no musician but be sure he heard and strove to render feeble echos of celestial strains”, I felt this quote was meaningful because as a music lover it hit close to home. One last thing before I go, I would like to shout my best friend throughout this whole trip , Teddy! I adopted him at the Space and Air museum and instantly he was loved by many. He has 2 uncles, 1 cousin, and a step step step dad. You guys should meet him, I present to you, Teddy: 

Lauren-My favorite part of this trip was seeing all the monuments in Washington DC. I enjoyed standing in all the places that our founding fathers once stood. Going to New York City and seeing the 9/11 memorial was very impactful. Just being in a place that was once beautiful and full of life now holds a sense of mourning and loss. It was a very fun experience. 

Sammie S- So the trip comes to an end. It was amazing and it’s is something that I will never forget. But some of the stuff I loved was the Library of Congress, it have so many different things to look at and take in but it hard to get all of it beauty in just one visit and they also had really nice bathrooms. Then the singing with the few chamber choir kids that we had at the Thomas Jefferson memorial was a very powerful moment for all of us and gave me goosebumps. But I also got really emotional at some of the memorials like the 9/11 and the Vietnam Memorials. Even though we had problems at the end it was still a great experience that I think other high school kids should go on because it is really impactful and you finally get to feel the impact these places have on history and people in general!!! 

Sam C- this trip was one of the biggest highlights of my senior year, I’ve made so many new friends, had so many new experiences, so many memories were made. One of my favorite parts was all of us dancing on the cruise, it felt like we all came together and had an amazing night screaming our hearts out. My favorite memorial was the Korean War memorial, it was so strong and you could feel the emotion in the sculptures. Even though we all lost our minds with the 10 hour bus ride it was still so fun. I highly suggest if anyone is thinking about going on this to go, you will make so many memories and new friends. The monuments are breathtaking and the memorials are something you’ll never forget. Even with all the delays and things that didn’t go quite as planned it was still extremely fun. I’ve very thankful for the Kedley’s and all the chaperones for making this happen and giving us a fun trip. I’m going to miss Brad and Hector the most!

Kenzie- This trip was super fun for me. After waiting almost 3 years to go on it, it was most defiantly worth the wait. My favorite parts were seeing the Vietnam memorial, the 9/11 memorial, and the Natural History Museum. I really enjoyed our tour guide Brad. He was such an amazing guide, and it made me sad to see him go but I did get a final hug before he left. 

Keira- My favorite part of this trip was getting to know and getting to bond with people i did not know very well. Everyone on this trip will forever be remembered within my heart. All of the pretty sites would mean nothing without the beautiful people i got to spend it and make memories with. 

Rili- This trip was one of those things that’ll turn into an amazing story to tell my family. All of it was so meaningful and really spoke to me. I usually don’t care too much about history but this trip really changed that. Hearing about all the things that have happened in our country and knowing that I was standing exactly where it all happened was crazy. But the trip was 10x better with everyone else. All the laughs and stupid conversations on the bus were amazing. I loved getting to meet new people, and create bonds with people who used to be complete strangers. I’m so glad I got to spend my time on this trip, even with the troubles of getting home.

AJ- I know this trip will be something I tell my kids about. There was so many eventful things that happened on this trip, not even to mention all the amazing things I got to see in the span of 8 days. My favorite sight that we saw has to be the Washington National Cathedral. I am a person who loves color, specifically vibrant colors. There had to be like 40 different stain glass windows. Needless to say I took many pictures. Also I miss Brad & Hector. :-(

Nathan - well it was an experience. I will say that for sure. I enjoyed every second of it except for the few seconds that we spent looking for something else to do. My favorite thing to se has to be the Sr-71 Blackbird and the discovery, but that’s because i am a nerd for that stuff. Anyways 10/10 would recommend. Also crying over the fact about how much i miss brad. 

Saturday, March 19

 Our flight out of Boston was right on time and a great success. Unfortunately, when we got to Chicago Midway we found that our flight had been cancelled. We luckily found out earlier than other travelers so we got right into the customer service line.  The group was so patient and were incredibly well behaved as we waited in the airport. Huge shout out to Shelly, Tracey, Ron, Blair and Beth for keeping a watchful eye while Thom and I worked with EF and Southwest.

To make a long story short, our flight got cancelled due to “operations”. Southwest put us up in a hotel and offered food vouchers but food places were closed. Unfortunately there are no flights available for the next 3 days so we looked into other means of transportation. They could get us to St. Louis, but that doesn’t get us any closer so we opted not to do that. Amtrak was also sold out for the next three days. 

At the hotel we found out that the vouchers we had weren’t actually reservations so we we had to split the kids and adults between two neighboring hotels. We got some late night pizza and headed to bed. 

After 50+ calls from EF and us to various bus companies and calling all possible resources we are happy to report that we have a bus coming for us. Our bus company from KC actually contacted a friend bus company in Chicago and he was able to get us. Huge shout out to Lee and XOXXOX bus company out of Chicago!

The kids enjoyed McDonald’s for breakfast and were finally able to swim in a pool! One of the rooms was a suite so it was our other hang out room.  The kids had fun his morning and are in great spirits! 

Our bus arrived at about 12:45 and we hit the road once we switched drivers.  We drove a bit before stopping for a late lunch at McDonalds and Arby’s. The students enjoyed the ice cream sundaes they earned for spotting and counting 100 Washington Monuments! We are on the last little leg our of our journey and should arrive back in Osceola around 8:00 tonight! 

Check out the next blog post for a message from the students!

Friday, March 18

We were on the bus by 8:00 and said goodbye to our hotel.  Our only tour for the day was Fenway Park. On our way to Fenway we took a driving tour of Boston. We were able to see where the Boston Marathon finish line was and memorial.  

Fenway is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium.  It was so fun to walk throughout the stadium and sit in different spots to get different views. We sat in the press box (amazing view) and on the Green Monster! As someone who is not a huge fan of baseball, I must admit I got very excited about baseball after this tour and now I want to go to a game! 

After, you guessed it, another stop at a gift shop we were on our way to Bunker Hill- the last stop on our Freedom Trail journey. To get to Bunker Hill you must walk the Freedom Trail a few blocks through a cute neighborhood in Charleston.  Bunker Hill is the location of one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War.  Unfortunately due to Covid we were unable to climb the four hundred and some stairs to the top, but were able to walk around the base of the memorial. Before leaving Bunker Hill we had to stop at one more gift shop and museum before heading back to our bus to go to Harvard.

When we arrived at Harvard we were on a mission to find food. This was Thom, Brad and my first time at Harvard so we relied on the locals to point us in the right direction. We were led astray at first, but found some places for students to eat.  On our mission to find food we were able to walk the campus a bit and get our picture with John Harvard.  Students rubbed his foot for good luck and intelligence. After a stop to get some Harvard swag we drove by MIT and then were on our way to the airport.

Brad, our tour guide, and Hector, our driver, have become a part of our Clarke family.  The students loved learning and chatting with both of them. Brad has been doing tours for over 10 years and Hector, being a native New Yorker, made use the perfect team.  Because of them, we were able to see more and learn more. In New York we were only to see the 9/11 memorial and with their guidance and experience we were able to get a driving tour of New York. Brad’s connections enabled us to reschedule tours due to weather that should have been cancelled. We truly cannot thank them enough.  We would LOVE for them to be our guide and driver on future tours!

Our crew was sad to say goodbye to Hector and Brad when we arrived at the airport. Security was a little more challenging in Boston due to the new souvenirs the students had purchased, but everyone made it through and we found our gate with ease.  As I type this, we are on our first flight home to Chicago Midway.  The rest of our journey will take us on another airplane to Kansas City and then a charter bus to Osceola.  We should arrive about 2:00 in the morning.

I cannot even begin to express how incredible this week has been. Our students have seen more, learned more and experienced more than we could have imagined.  This group that has endured multiple postponements sincerely got the trip of the lifetime. As parents, guardians, teachers, community members or friends, you should be proud of this amazing group of individuals.  They represented Clarke well, they supported each other and made new friends. A group that began as quiet cliches became one large group united. Students who have never talked to each other or knew the other existed are now friends. I have never seen a group mesh the way this group did; they will forever remember this time together. 

Parents and Guardians, thank you for sending your student on this trip. It is a once in a lifetime experience they will never forget. I know they are excited to be heading home to share their new knowledge and stories….and, of course, their souvenirs! :) I hope they get some good rest and talk your ear off tomorrow!

Students, you are incredible! We are so proud of you and hope you had the time of your life; we know we did. As Brad said, this trip tops the rest! Get some rest, upload your pictures and tell the stories of the great experiences you had!

Signing off until next time,

1 & 25….and 26, 27

Thursday, March 17

 Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Boston! This morning we began with a sweet treat from Mike’s Pastry. Many students enjoyed picking out a cannoli and trying this new dessert! Mike’s is really close to Old North Church which was our first stop on the Freedom Trail.  We got a picture in our green shirts by the Paul Revere statue and headed inside for our informational tour of the Old North Church. 

The Old North Church was where Paul Revere and his associates hung the lanterns in the steeple to tell how the Red Coats were coming; one if by land, two if by sea.  It became more famous after Longfellow’s poem of “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”. The church itself is still an active church. The pews are unique because they are tall and in squares. In history, the families would purchase a pew box and that is where they would sit for mass. The students found this very interesting. There is a third lantern hanging in the church and David had the honor of lighting it before we had to move on.

Our next stop was Boston Commons to meet our Boston tour guide, Nathaniel. He took us along the Freedom Trail. We stopped at so many incredibly important stops along the way including the Old State House, the location of the Boston Massacre, Kings Church, Fenuiel Hall and the cemetery where John Hancock, Paul Revere and Sam Adams are buried. He was a fast talker and an even faster walker, but we learned so much from him.

For lunch we enjoyed the different stands at Quincy Market. I was pleasantly surprised how many students tried the Clam Chowder for lunch! After lunch they were able to explore Quincy Market and souvenir shop—this group sure loves a souvenir shop!

After lunch we were on our way to the USS Constitution, another stop on the Freedom Trail. This is one of the oldest commissioned Naval vessels.  She got the nickname “Old Ironside” because when in battle it was stated that cannon balls would bounce off her sides and someone said “her sides must be made of iron.” Students were able to explore above the ship and below deck. We got a lesson on loading a cannon, but also learned when it is on a ship it is called a gun and when it is on land it is called a cannon.  It would take 10-15 people 90 seconds to load and fire the gun. Many of our group had to duck as they walked because they were too tall to stand up straight.  In the sleeping area the ceiling was even lower and hammocks were displayed to show where the sailors would sleep. 

After Old Ironside we headed to our appointment at the Boston Tea Party Museum.  Once again the gift shop was a big hit before we were able to go into the tour.  This tour was like a play and had people in character. We all received new identities and had roles in the throwing of the tea into the harbor.  Students had the opportunity to throw “tea” in the harbor after receiving a tour of the ship. The museum housed the only known box  that was carrying tea from the Boston Tea Party. The museum was active and had different moving pieces to keep everyone engaged- it was incredibly well done. 

After a quick detour to Paul Revere’s house, we were onto dinner.

Our dinner was at Fire + Ice which was a new experience for many of our students. It was very similar to HuHot and was a Mongolian style grill, but it also featured a bunch of different noodles and sauces for Italian style pasta and burgers/hot dogs.  It was all you could eat and the students went back for multiple trips.  

After dinner we headed back to the hotel for some free time and packing. Some students enjoyed playing soccer in the lobby by our breakfast room.  Tomorrow more of Boston and then the journey home begins!