In Their Own Words
EES Students React To The Field Trip Of A Lifetime
EASTFORD — Over the span of four days in early June, Eastford Elementary School eighth graders experienced a field trip that will leave lasting memories, and they are ready to tell you all about it.
From Tuesday, June 3, to Friday, June 6, 21 EES students and six chaperones embarked on the school’s annual field trip to Washington, D.C., a trip chock full of history and educational moments. The field trip was years in the making, as the Eastford School Auction Committee collects money via the EES Annual Goods and Services Auction each fall to fund the trip over several years leading up to it. This past trip was the culmination of those years of fundraising for the Class of 2025, and The Eastford Communicator was along for the ride.
Thanks to teachers and field trip organizers Jennifer Barlow and Catherine DePercio, the Communicator collected quotes and memories from several students about their experiences on the trip.
After an all-day bus ride from Eastford to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 3, the group enjoyed dinner before resting up for the first sightseeing day on Wednesday, June 4 — which began with a morning excursion at Arlington National Cemetery. There, the group learned about the history of the property, while also learning about the more notable figures from history buried there, including President John F. Kennedy. The cemetery also has a local connection, as Eastford resident Joseph E. Phaneuf II is buried there. Phaneuf was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army when he was killed in Afghanistan in 2006. Students gathered at his grave in Arlington to pay their respects to a local hero.
The group also visited the Arlington House and witnessed a guard changeover ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Eighth grader Wes DePercio reflected on his time spent at Arlington National Cemetery, calling the experience an “eye opener.”
“We had an amazing tour guide, who had quite the character,” DePercio said about their guide throughout the trip, Michelle Heller. “We visited [John F. Kennedy’s] grave and learned the qualifications of burial at Arlington. Although the cemetery was quite massive, it was cool and interesting to see all our fallen comrades and stop to see important graves. … Walking around the cemetery was an eye opener to our class on how we were walking amongst fallen heroes.”
After quick stops at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) and a photo op behind The White House, the group enjoyed lunch at Chik-fil-A. The group then spent their Wednesday afternoon at the International Spy Museum, which documents the history of the intelligence field and espionage and provided an interactive experience for the students.
Ella Barlow said the Spy Museum was her favorite stop on the entire trip and detailed the process of exploring the museum.
“There were many different fun parts of the Washington D.C. trip, but my favorite place that we went to was the Spy Museum,” Ella said. “When you first arrive, you are handed a card that contains all your information. Then, you travel to the third floor via elevator. Next, there are computer screens that you tap your card on. The screen will show you pictures that you will select your favorites from. This will determine your name and your identity, which are fake. Then you will receive a mission and a secret codeword. You will be asked what your codeword is many times throughout the exhibit. This will make sure that the correct person is reading your mission details and information. There are also many stations that describe different tactics used by many spies.”
“My favorite spot was where you got to take a picture of yourself and put on different clothing options to conceal your identity,” Ella continued. “There was also a spot where you are given the opportunity to view a real-life situation and decide whether you would take action or wait based on the given information. There was another floor where you could hold on to a bar and see how long you could hang. Finally, you could try to solve a passcode and open an air vent that you could climb through.”
After dinner, the group joined up with Heller once again to tour several of Washington D.C.'s most famous monuments, including the World War II Memorial; The Washington Monument (from a distance); The Vietnam Veterans Memorial; The Lincoln Memorial; the Korean War Veterans Memorial; and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
Piper Moore described being affected particularly by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both by its design and the adjacent Vietnam Women’s Memorial.
“I remember a few weeks before D.C., we had to look up information and facts about the different memorials,” Moore said. “I got assigned the Vietnam Memorial. It was cool reading about Maya [Lin], the girl who designed the memorial. When we got to the memorial, I was mesmerized by the detail in the [Vietnam Women’s Memorial] statue, hearing our tour guide explain how the designer used artistic liberty and added a bun for one of the women.”
“Looking at the wall [of the memorial] hurt,” Moore concluded. “It was sad to see all the names, all the people and soldiers who sacrificed their lives. I was glad that at least those names will be remembered forever.”
Allie Beausoleil commented that the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial was her favorite.
“Out of all the memorials we saw, the one that caught my attention the most [was the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial],” Beausoleil said. “We went at around 9 p.m., which in my opinion, was the best time to visit. There weren’t any other classes from other schools, which allowed us to see much better. Additionally, there were lights all around to illuminate the space to allow people to clearly see the memorial.”
“Mrs. Heller explained to us that [King’s body on the memorial] wasn’t finished because his job wasn’t finished,” she continues. “One of his famous quotes was: ‘We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.’ This is why he is coming out of the mountain behind him — he is coming out of that mountain of despair. Our tour guide also explained that he is facing the Jefferson Memorial because Jefferson owned slaves, and he is looking towards [the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial] because they both had aspiring goals for the country and its civil rights. This memorial, as well as everything else we experienced on this trip, was memorable.”
Thursday, June 5 began with a quick trip to the Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The group then planned an afternoon at three Smithsonian museums — the National Air and Space Museum; the National Museum of Natural History; and the National Museum of American History. The main group split into subgroups to explore the museums they most wanted to see
Brooke Perry explained that her favorite experience was the National Museum of American History.
“Washington D.C. was a great trip,” Perry said. “My personal favorite part was going to the American History Museum. This museum displayed different parts of American culture, events, and more. The first section we saw was about entertainment and was also my favorite. It had many items from movies and music, such as the red slippers Dorothy wore in “The Wizard of Oz,” and an outfit Selena [Quintanilla-Pérez] wore at a concert. There was a film about racial stereotypes that I and some other students on the trip enjoyed watching because of the humor that was in it. Another part that was interesting was the First Ladies part, where it displayed many of the dresses first ladies had worn [throughout the years].”
Mitchell Norman explained that his favorite experience came at the National Air and Space Museum.
“A large portion of the D.C. trip was spent in the Smithsonian museums on Thursday,” Norman said. “This was my favorite portion of the trip, as it not only was my biggest interest, but was also put together very well. The museum had a ton of attractions. We didn’t even get to see some, as part of the museum was closed off. It was all good though, as the exhibits we did see were downright amazing! I remember vividly one exhibit that took amazing detail to describe the solar system. There were models and description pieces that did an amazing job describing everything. We even got to see very neat models of rovers and landers that actually went into space. In the center of the room was a large screen that cycled between different planets and moon surface. This had even more explanations of temperature, gravity levels, and so many more cool things about space locations.”
Nora Miller described her time at the Museum of Natural History was enjoyable and educational.
“The first museum that my group visited was the Museum of Natural History,” Miller said. “The first place we went to was the dinosaur area. We saw multiple ginormous fossils looking back at us and learned many interesting facts about that time period. Next, we went upstairs to see the gemstones and minerals. We got to see the Hope Diamond, which was beautiful. In the next connected room, it was extremely crowded with everyone trying to look at the gems, jewelry and crystals. After that, we went to the ocean section and learned about somewhat modern and prehistoric ocean animals.”
After reconvening in the late afternoon, the group made their way to Nationals Park, where they attended a Major League Baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the visiting Chicago Cubs. The Cubs defeated the Nationals, 7-1, bringing the day to a close.
Sofia Gillett said she enjoyed the game being a part of the group’s itinerary.
“We did many things on our Washington D.C. trip,” Gillett said. “One of the things we did during our time there was attending a Washington Nationals game Thursday evening. After going to the Smithsonian. We were given our tickets, which doubled as our [voucher] for dinner. The game was very enjoyable and I’m glad it was a part of the Washington D.C. trip.”
Friday, June 6 was the final day of the trip, but before leaving, the group spent the morning at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Though hot and sunny, the morning was enjoyed by the students, including Mia Kernan, who explained her joy in seeing the pandas.
“I loved the zoo,” Kernan said. “I got to see a panda eat and wrestle a tree branch. I also saw blue jays and many other kinds of birds.”
After lunch, it was time to head back to Eastford, bringing the field trip to a close. After a day of travel, the bus arrived back at Eastford Elementary School at around 10 p.m. on Friday, June 6.
It was the perfect exclamation point to not only the end of the school year, but to the end of the road at Eastford Elementary School for the Class of 2025, a trip that created memories that will last a lifetime.
“The school’s preparation was key to a great trip,” said Allie Beausoleil. “Their contributions were crucial to make our successful trip. Thanks to that and the contributors to the auction, this trip was made possible. I want to thank any and everyone involved, regardless of how small, for making this happen for us.”
The EES Annual Goods and Services Auction is the key fundraiser in making the annual Washington D.C. trip possible for EES students. To get involved, or for more information, call (860) 971-1130, or e-mail [email protected].
Adam Minor photos
