ALAH Senior Class continues senior trip tradition
WASHINGTON, D.C. The Class of 2023 received a special tour of the Capital from 2014 alumni Noah Yantis and were able to go out onto the Speaker of the House’s balcony and House Gallery. This picture with Yantis and Brady Moore, class president, was taken on the Capital steps by an official Capital photographer. They also met up with Atwood alumnus Austin Dean, who works at the Capitol and Buck Condill joined them for a couple of their evening activities.
By BRADY MOORE
ALAH Senior Class President
On Saturday, April 29, 71 ALAH High School seniors and seven chaperones took off on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Washington D.C. The Arthur School District started the Senior Trip in 1952 with the Class of 1952 going to Niagara Falls. In 1955 the destination was changed to Washington D.C. which has never changed since then. As many of our alumni know, this trip is jam-packed with so many life-altering experiences that have a deep meaning and impact on all of us. As Class President for the Class of 2023, I am very thankful for Arthur CUSD #305 and members of our community for giving our class this amazing opportunity to tour our nation’s capital.
We started our journey on Sunday morning at 6:30 A.M. with a hearty breakfast at a Cracker Barrel in Maryland, and we then drove to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. The Udvar-Hazy houses the Enola Gay, the Space Shuttle Discovery, and multiple other types of aircraft from multiple types of periods throughout the history of aviation. Later that evening we drove around D.C. at night and stopped to visit the Jefferson Memorial which gave students an immaculate view of the sprawling city from the other side of the Potomac. After the first day of our trip, so many students were amazed by the city and did not want to leave.
On Monday, we split our class into two groups and embarked on a segway tour.
While one group rode the segways, the other group went and started visiting the museums around the National Mall. This may arguably be some of the students’ favorite activities from the trip. The segway tour took us all around D.C. where we were able to get close look at the White House, some students were even able to see Vice President Kamala Harris’ Motorcade arrive at the White House. It gave students the opportunity to travel around D.C. and see multiple parts of the city as well as many monuments and government buildings. A museum favorite for many students was the National Gallery of Art. Students were able to see paintings by Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, and the famous painting The Apostle Paul. While touring the National Gallery of Art students were able to see live-action artists recreating these famous works or other paintings hanging in the gallery. That evening after touring the city and the museums we attended a Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals baseball game at Nationals Park. That night, the Cubs took an awesome win over the Nationals, 5-1.
On Tuesday, we began our morning with our students splitting up with some going to Ford’s Theatre where President Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed, and others going to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Holocaust Museum allowed students to see the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany during the early 1930s and how he dramatically transitioned the democratic nation into a totalitarian state that was Nazi Germany. It was a very somber museum that presented students with the atrocities that Hitler and the Nazi’s acted upon the Jewish citizens of Europe. The museum hosted some of the original rail cars that carried Jewish prisoners to Auschwitz-Birkenau in addition to the metal gate that was at the opening to Auschwitz.
Later on we were very fortunate to have a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building thanks to ALAH High School Alumni and my cousin Noah Yantis. Mr. Yantis has worked in Washington D.C. in the U.S. Capitol Building since 2017 when he started out as an intern and was hired by the congressman he was interning for. Later on that year. Mr. Yantis now works for the Congressional Western Caucus where he is the executive director for the caucus which has 62 congressional members. Yantis and multiple interns gave us all an amazing tour of our capitol building with the rare opportunity to go and look over Washington DC on the Speaker’s Balcony. Later on, Mr. Yantis secured all of our students and chaperones tickets to sit in the House Gallery.
Students were able to see the floor of the United States House of Representatives which was a highlight of the trip. Also at the Capitol Building we were able to eat lunch with Atwood-Hammond High School Alumni Austin Dean who works for the Senator of Nevada, Catherine Cortez Masto.
That evening we ate at National Harbor in Maryland where students were able to go out and eat and walk around the neat little shops and stores that were present. At National Harbor they had a large ferris wheel known as the Capital Wheel. All students and chaperones went up into the Ferris wheel where it offered priceless views of Washington D.C. and the Potomac River. Later on that night we took a night tour of D.C. where we visited the World War II memorial, Korean War Memorial, dropped off our letter we wrote to the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam War at the Vietnam War Memorial, and then walked up the Lincoln Memorial. D.C. and the National Mall are truly unreal sights to see at night.
On Wednesday, our last day in Washington D.C. we set off to go to Arlington National Cemetery. The history, traditions, and beauty that makes up Arlington National Cemetery is truly one of the most beautiful and moving places in our nation and the world. While we were at Arlington there were 25 scheduled burial services for fallen men and women of our armed services. While at Arlington we visited the gravesite of former President of the United States John F. Kennedy and the eternal flame, we watched the changing of the guard, and then visited the Arlington House which was the former home of Robert E. Lee. Following Arlington National Cemetery we ventured out to the National Zoo for our last leg of the journey, where the most sought-after animal was of course the giant pandas.
Like most great stories, all good stories must come to an end. We arrived back at ALAH High School early Thursday morning. This trip was a monumental experience for so many students and the Class of 2023 is so grateful for the faculty and staff who planned and chaperoned the senior trip, but we are especially grateful for the community support. Without so many of you this trip would not be possible. So on behalf of the Class of 2023 thank you for this great opportunity that you, the community and our school district have provided for us.
