Classical Academy students witness history in Washington

Students, teachers and parents from Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy pose in front of the Capitol Building during their trip to Washington last week.
Students, teachers and parents from Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy pose in front of the Capitol Building during their trip to Washington last week.

BENTONVILLE -- Fifteen Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy students got some history lessons -- and a glimpse of history in the making -- during a whirlwind trip to Washington, D.C., last week.

The eighth-graders spent four days in the nation's capital. Highlights included seeing Donald Trump inaugurated as president, though the closest they could get was about a mile away, they said.

Besides the inauguration, the group also got to observe some of the Women's March on Saturday, which attracted more than 500,000 people, according to The Associated Press. The march was in part a demonstration of civil and women's rights but also served as a general objection to Trump and his policies.

Several academy students who were on the trip said they were Trump supporters but didn't mind the march.

"I honestly liked the protests, because it shows the freedom of speech and freedom of protest in this country that not many countries actually have," said eighth-grader Ashley Steele of Bella Vista, who wore a red "Make America great again" T-shirt to school Monday, a souvenir from her trip.

Ashley added, however, the demonstration could have been a little more "kid-friendly."

"I think the fact they had the march was cool, but I don't think I necessarily agreed with everything they were saying," said another student, Travis Harms, of Rogers.

Ashley called Trump's speech "inspirational" because of his focus on the people.

"I felt like an actual American. I felt more grown up than I was," she said.

Aidan Looney, another student from Bentonville, said Trump's speech was his favorite part of the trip.

"I think it really energized the public who was ready to accept Trump as president," Aidan said.

The Northwest Arkansas group, which included two teachers and a few parents, arrived at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium by bus at 6:30 a.m. Friday, the day of the inauguration. They then had to walk to the National Mall.

They walked a total of 16 miles that day. The route from the stadium to the National Mall was complicated by numerous detours imposed for security reasons, said Jennifer Anderson, a reading and dyslexia specialist at Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy who was the group's leader.

The students attended an inaugural ball Friday night set up specially for people of their age. Trump wasn't there, except in the form of a life-sized, cardboard cutout.

The group did not encounter any of the Inauguration Day protests in Washington that turned violent.

The students also visited museums, memorials and other tourist attractions. They recited the Gettysburg Address -- something they learned by heart last year -- while at the Lincoln Memorial.

They shared a tour bus and tour guide with another group of students from Pico Rivera, Calif. One of the adults accompanying the California group was a Vietnam veteran, a former Marine on his first trip to Washington. Observing him during their visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was an emotional experience for everyone, Anderson said.

Paxton Splittorff, an eighth-grader from Bentonville, was particularly moved by the Vietnam memorial.

"There were all of these names. And the sad part to me was, you couldn't remember all of them," Paxton said. "So I went through and wrote down a couple of names, and I have vowed to try to remember them as I go on through life, to help these people live on."

This was the second straight year Anderson has led a group from her school to Washington. Students had to sign up for this year's trip by the end of 2015 in order to go. Anderson called them an amazing group who were both respectful and appreciative of the history they witnessed.

NW News on 01/24/2017

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