After embarking on a trip to Washington, D.C., 179 students from Edina High School and multiple teacher chaperones had an unforgettable experience, with activities ranging from city tourism to visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Sophomore Ally Hahn enjoyed touring Washington and experiencing the city life. “D.C. is a really cool city and I was really surprised at how beautiful it was,” she said. Specifically, Hahn was struck by the significance of Washington to the country as a whole. “I was surprised by how much history [the] area holds,” she said. “It was really interesting to get a close view at how much of the country is kind of based out of the area and to learn more about like the people that started the nation.”

For chaperone and science teacher Lindsey Smaka, Arlington National Cemetery was the most meaningful part of the trip. “It was a really cool moment to see the graves of the people I admired, and then our own students were able to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was really special,” she said. 

For many students, their Washington trip experience exposed them to aspects of history they had not expected to encounter, such as the Holocaust Memoriam Museum. “I remember right at the entrance [of the Holocaust Memorial Museum] we saw a picture of burned bodies at the camp. And that’s not really something you’re gonna forget,” sophomore Alvi Buzar Barua said, noting that the museum was the most significant event of the trip for her.

Though each student and chaperone had a different reason for attending the trip, by the end, all participants were satisfied with their experience and learning. “I wanted to get a little bit of an insider look at the history of the country and the different political aspects,” Hahn said. She also noted that she wanted to attend the trip to travel to a part of the country she had never seen before. 

Buzar Barua, on the other hand, wanted to learn more about the government and seize a travel opportunity she may not have had otherwise. As for Smaka, her love of travel drove her decision to attend the trip. “I love getting outside of the classroom with students,” she said.

Each day of the trip was jam-packed with tourism of various monuments, memorials, and city attractions. Students were on the road and exploring the city by 8:30 a.m. “We did everything, including the African American History Museum, Holocaust Museum, American History Museum, Natural History Museum, and the National Archives,” Smaka said. 

Many students also had significant takeaways from their experiences, making the trip an experience they were grateful for. Hahn, for example, learned a lot about the influence of minority groups on the nation’s history. “I feel like it’s kind of like an untold story that we don’t usually get in our history classes, so I think that was really impactful to learn,” she said. 

This type of learning excites Smaka, who believes in the power of student travel experiences similar to the Washington trip. “There’s value to going outside of the classroom. I’m always open to seeing really any part of the world whether it’s in our own country or elsewhere, and I think when you are there and seeing it with your own eyes, it has such a bigger impact,” she said.

In addition to evoking significant amounts of learning, students also built many new connections with their peers and teachers on the trip. “It’s a really fun way to spend time with friends. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my roommates all day and being able to walk around with them,” Hahn said. Buzar Barua agreed, highlighting that the trip was a great way for her to build connections with other people “I honestly didn’t expect to make any new friends in this trip. I had some people I already knew going in, but I got along with a lot more people than I expected and I made new friends,” she said. 

Even chaperones including Smaka appreciated the social aspect of the trip. “I got to know students I don’t have normally in my class, and it was a way for me to connect with the larger Edina audience and I got to connect with colleagues I don’t usually get to connect with a lot,” she said.

Each of the participants encouraged sophomores to embark on the trip, as they felt remarkably changed by their experience. By giving students a direct look into U.S. history, the Washington, D.C. trip provided students with learning and connections that went beyond basic classroom instruction.  “It’s a really cool way to meet people and learn new things about how government impacts our lives, and also to learn more about the history,” Hahn said.