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
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