2024 Senior Trip to Washington D.C. – Day One

It is Senior Trip time at Great Hearts where seniors throughout our academies have the opportunity to visit our nation’s capital and see the historical places and context for so many of their discussions regarding human nature, freedom, liberty, justice, and many other ideals and virtues.

“[This trip is] living out the love of community and conversation- students share this experience together. The focus is not simply for a personal experience connected to history or travel, but a communal experience has been one of sharing time, energy, food, and conversation. This trip means nothing apart from community and friendship,” explained Kyle Navarrette, Headmaster at Glendale Prep.

Follow one senior, Jackie Wang, as she gives us a daily peek at some of the amazing sites they will experience this week through her eyes and in her own words.

Sunday, March 3^rd
Written by Jackie Wang, Great Hearts Senior

Our class started off the long travel day at Phoenix Sky Harbor in the early morning hours. Our flight to Baltimore was uneventful, thankfully. When we arrived on the ground in Baltimore, everyone got lunch and a couple brave souls grabbed all our bags for us! From there, we boarded a bus to DC proper. We arrived at our hotel about an hour later, unloaded the bus, and found our rooms. After that, students formed smaller groups to check out the neighborhood and the scenery closest to us.

On the drive in, we saw a statue in front of a church that piqued our interest. We took a short walk from the hotel and discovered a statue of Martin Luther. Beyond the statue was a red-brick church. We went inside and discovered colorful stained glass and dark wooden pews. Now we were on the hunt to find more architecture.

We discovered more beauty in three other churches located on the adjacent blocks, all of them belonging to different denominations. When we came upon a church that had a couple parishioners outside, we asked if we could look inside, and they reluctantly agreed. Once inside, one of the men told us the history of the church and how both the architecture and the neighborhood have changed throughout the years. He was a lovely gentleman who made the experience so much richer. The churches were all so different, and yet so beautiful in their sacred pursuit.

Meanwhile, most students went to get snacks and essentials for our stay at local stores. Everyone reconvened for a meeting on navigating the Metro and basic safety precautions to be aware of in a big city.

Tomorrow is going to be another enriching day full of new experiences!!

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