Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School's Media Productions Class
2012 STN Trip – Washington
Arlington Cemetery and the Newseum
Mar 16th
Today the temperature dipped into the 50′s and the sky was overcast as we headed out the door of our hotel. It ended up being the perfect weather to visit the cemetery because we had to do a lot of walking again. The cooler temp kept us comfortable and when it finally did rain we were indoors at the Newseum.
We got to see where all the Kennedy’s are buried as well as the changing of the guard that watches over the tomb of the unknown soldier. Uncle Lane taught us about the history of Arlington and how the Lee family was forced to give up their land. We learned a lot about the protocols of the guards that constantly watch over the tomb of the unknown soldier.
After lunch at the Navy Memorial we arrived at the Newseum, 6 floors of interesting exhibits and films about the history of news. They had some really neat stuff about 9/11. The students got to try their hand at being a news reporter which was pretty cool.
We were able to cook dinner and brown bag the lunches today so the kids didn’t have to spend any food money today. We also just finished washing some clothes. My eyes are closing so I’m going to end here. Good night! Can’t believe we have just one more day in DC!
Arlington Cemetery and the Newseum
Mar 16th
Today the temperature dipped into the 50′s and the sky was overcast as we headed out the door of our hotel. It ended up being the perfect weather to visit the cemetery because we had to do a lot of walking again. The cooler temp kept us comfortable and when it finally did rain we were indoors at the Newseum.
We got to see where all the Kennedy’s are buried as well as the changing of the guard that watches over the tomb of the unknown soldier. Uncle Lane taught us about the history of Arlington and how the Lee family was forced to give up their land. We learned a lot about the protocols of the guards that constantly watch over the tomb of the unknown soldier.
After lunch at the Navy Memorial we arrived at the Newseum, 6 floors of interesting exhibits and films about the history of news. They had some really neat stuff about 9/11. The students got to try their hand at being a news reporter which was pretty cool.
We were able to cook dinner and brown bag the lunches today so the kids didn’t have to spend any food money today. We also just finished washing some clothes. My eyes are closing so I’m going to end here. Good night! Can’t believe we have just one more day in DC!
Fire It Up
Mar 15th
Today was a long day….we’re at the train station now and it’s 10:21 at night. We just got through watching the circus and we all had a blast! 10 of us were down low in the 5th row while the rest of the group was in a private suite up top. We saw all kinds of things tonight, from dancing elephants to feisty lions, a human cannon ball and everything in between. It certainly was an entertaining night…..except for the horses that just walked in circles. Ask your child what the most boring part of the night was and 10 to 1 they’ll say the horses.
Earlier today we toured the Capitol and got to see where the President makes his State of the Union speech. We were assisted by the staff members of Representative Hirono and Senator Inouye’s offices. Unfortunately we weren’t able to meet Senator Inouye as planned as he was in a meeting that required his vote and could not leave to meet us. None of the other Hawaii politicians were in their offices either but we still stopped by to offer our omiyage gifts.
After our visits we headed to Chinatown to see the famous Ford Theatre where Abraham Lincoln was shot. We then had dinner at 5 Guys Burgers before heading over to the circus.
Tomorrow the forecast is calling for thunderstorms so we may need to adjust our schedule. Wish us luck!
1st Day in DC
Mar 13th
After a long 16 hour journey from Lihue to Washington, DC, we finally arrived at around 9 am EST. All of our bags, boxes, and coolers made it safely with us and we were met by our shuttle service as soon as we emerged from the baggage claim. We had a short 5 minute ride to the hotel and we were happy to hear that our rooms were ready for us. We checked in, unloaded our stuff, and then headed out to begin our tour. We learned how to buy our Metro cards and took our first ride on their train system here and managed to keep Aunty Lori with us. So far, so good! Uncle Lane stopped at the DC Mall and talked a little about the Washington Monument and we got to take a few pictures. We then headed to the Old Post Office Building for lunch before going to the Smithsonian American History Museum. Our jet lag and sleep deprivation finally caught up to us but we managed to have a few hours there to see their exhibits before we headed back to the hotel. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that not only does hour hotel provide breakfast, but also a few dinners as well. That saved us a few dollars in our meal budget which the students liked. The meal wasn’t great, a chicken sandwich, but it was free so we can’t complain that much. The students are now writing their blog entries for the day and will be heading off to bed soon. Wifi is only available downstairs so you may not see a post from your child until tomorrow morning. Some students went down with their chaperone after dinner to update their blogs. The rest will do so in the morning during breakfast.
I’m ready to get some shut eye myself so I’ll end here. The temperature has been warm, in the 70′s so we haven’t even needed a jacket yet…..go figure! So far it’s been a wonderful first and second day. Hope it continues tomorrow!!!
Mr. M
12 Hours To Go!
Mar 11th
As I sit at my laptop tonight after finishing up my grading for the 3rd quarter (one of the many things I’ve had to do before we leave on our STN trip tomorrow) and reading all of the wonderful blogs that my students have written this quarter, I have to say that I’m a very lucky teacher. I have a great bunch of students who come to school eager to learn. How many teachers can say that? Not too many. I’m talking about EVERY one of my students here, not just a few. In 12 short hours (I’m not even done packing yet!) I’ll be meeting them at the airport and getting everyone ready to begin our latest journey. We’ll be spending two weeks together along with 6 awesome parent chaperones, learning about the amazing history of our great country in Washington, DC and then traveling to Dallas, Texas (Go Cowboys!). We have an excellent tour guide in Mr. Lane Tokita, a social studies teacher at Kauai High School and parent of Chase who has taken many of these trips before with his students. In fact, he just came home tonight from spending 10 days with his students in DC and tomorrow, steps back on the plane again not even spending 24 hours at home, to be our guide. I cannot thank him enough for doing that for us. My parent chaperones are pretty darn awesome too, giving up two weeks of their vacation time to help and watch over our students. With us for the 5th and sadly final time is Myron Emoto, parent to Jamie and Kasey, whom I’ve had the absolute pleasure to have in my classes. Uncle Myron gives up his vacation each year to be a chaperone and he is another parent that I can’t thank enough. Don’t tell Kasey but I’m trying to find a way to have her fail all her classes so I can have her and her dad again next year! Just kidding, but seriously, each trip with Uncle Myron has been a blast and I’m really going to miss him next year. Once I reach that airport tomorrow, I’ll finally have a chance to breathe so I’m really looking forward to it. Whether we win or lose at the STN Convention, I’m sure we’ll have a great time and I want to thank all of my students for their hard work and effort, our chaperones for their time and dedication, and our parents for all of their hard work this year in our many fundraisers to make this trip a reality. Chee hoo baby! Let’s get this show on the road!!!!!
Holocaust Museum Info
Feb 27th
Check out this link for some additional information on the Holocaust to better prepare you for our visit there.
Newseum Sneak Peak
Feb 27th
Check out this video from the Newseum, one of the many cool places we’ll be visiting soon!
Here are the top 10 things to see at the Newseum.
14 more days until we leave for Washington, DC!
