4/24/08
Manning Elementary’s fifth graders go to The Hill
By Jerriod Grizzle

JERRIOD GRIZZLE/Manning Times

Manning Elementary School fifth-graders sit on the steps on the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. with Congressman Jim Clyburn. Clyburn spoke to the 65 students at the Capitol and explained what he did in his everyday job. Students also toured the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum and the WWII Memorial.

It was government up close and personal for 65 Mannng Elementary School fifth graders along with 41 chaperones on the trip of a lifetime April 9-12 as they packed up and headed to Washington D.C.

Students visited various sights including the Washington Monument, the Arlington Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum and the Capitol Building.

“The trip corresponds to what the students learn in social studies during the year,” said MES Curriculum Facilitator Allison Goff.

Students Marcus King, age 11 and Sarah Darby, also age 11 said they had a wonderful experience and each of them had their favorite parts of the trip.

“I think my favorite was the National Archives and the Washington Monument and learning how tall it was,” Darby said.

The Washington Monument is 150 feet tall.

King said his favorite part was also the Washington Monument and seeing the desk of Abraham Lincoln at the Capitol Building.

“I also learned about his life and what he did and how he died,” he said.

Students were also shown the desk of John Quincy Adams, the nation’s sixth president and son of founding father John Adams.

As a special treat, Congressman Jim Clyburn gave the students a tour of the Capitol.

“He really went all out and spoke to us, describing what he did and introduced us to Patrick Kennedy of Maine,” said chaperone Amy Land.

Land said that not only did the students learn and have a great time but also the adults on the trip had a great time as well learning about Washington through the eyes of the children.

“I’ve been before but this trip was very special to me,” Land said. “We went all day long and while it was an exhausting trip, it was also a lot of fun.”

Land said that one thing she was very surprised and excited by is how well the students grasped the information.

“We went to the Holocaust Museum which was my favorite part personally and they went in with a very open-hearted and somber attitude,” she said.

Land said that the students met two Holocaust survivors; one that lost their sister and mother in the camps in Germany and another that was on his way to the camps.

“The students said they felt sorry for what occurred during the Holocaust but they also asked very intelligent questions,” she said.

Both Darby and King said they wouldn’t forget their trip anytime soon but neither of the two said that as of right now, they wanted to be politicians.