{all photos taken from SLOCA's Flickr site or facebook page – thank you photographers, whoever you are! You can see lots more amazing photos of the DC trip on Flickr.}
When our school took a trip to Washington, D.C. over spring break, you know there were magical moments a-plenty during that incredible whirlwind excursion! Today we are going to share some magical moments from a few parents who were on the trip. We apologize for the length of this one, but there were so many moments to share, and we didn’t want to leave any out!
In Colonial Williamsburg, we visited the George Wythe house, where Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Henry Clay, and many of our founding fathers were educated. Wythe selected promising young students and personally mentored them, forming the minds which formed our nation. As our guide detailed the arduous education of these men, I was impressed by how Wythe's methods so closely resembled what we do at SLOCA – reading deeply into the classics, discussing the great ideas of history and philosophy using socratic questioning, even journaling scientific observations. We later visited Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello – a visit full of magical moments too numerous to recount – and saw evidence of what kind of person is produced by this type of education. Thomas Jefferson (for all his flaws) was full of wonder, passionately curious about the world, and a dedicated scholar throughout his life. It was inspiring.
-Emily Ferrarini
2nd year at SLOCA on Track A4, with sons Quinn (LMS) and Isaiah (UMS)
One magical moment that comes to mind was at the Smithsonian Am History Museum. My kids stopped in front of George Washington's chair and just stared. I kept wanting to move things along… feeling a bit impatient… but they were transfixed (vocab word 
looking at it. I leaned and heard them saying, “he actually sat in that very chair….George Washington… thinking about his battle plans.. can you believe it…?!?!?”. They really connected with Washington during this trip.
-Suzanne Phelan
3rd year at SLOCA on Track B, with sons John (Int) and Joseph (LMS)
I'm trying to think of my favorite moment during the DC trip:
Was it when the tour guide for the guided night tour of Alexandria wanted to adopt any and all of the kids in our group because she couldn't believe how much history they knew? She thought she'd awe them with her “cats built into the buildings” stories but we've already heard that one and even shared some of what we'd learned in Williamsburg.
Maybe it was how quick and organized we got loading and unloading the bus after that “life like” military drill in Williamsburg. We ALL had to stand in two groups, in two lines each, in perfect formation and march, turn and respond in unison. This was NOT kid stuff. I personally almost ran to the women's restroom but after they ran at us with bayonets I resisted the temptation.
Perhaps it was watching as each parent looked after ALL the kids in the group. It was like having dozens of eyes looking after our kids with a common parental role.
I know I felt really proud when I heard numerous guides tell Cindy how much they enjoyed our group and wanted to know more about our school. One guide was impressed that our California kids knew more about Virginia history than the school groups from Virginia that passed through there.
I felt a real connection when we had to stand out in the pouring rain doing a tour of Jamestown. It was a taste of how life was with the cold and damp as we walked through the Powhatan village huts and the settlers village with open air windows and only a fireplace to keep the whole place warm. It was in the high 30s/low 40s and we Californians were not quite prepared with our layers of clothing!
I personally felt like I stepped back in time on the day all our kids wore costumes and took their hand at making buckets as teams, getting water from the well and wearing a yoke with the two water buckets and hoofing it across the yard. Watching the girls with their white dresses and colored sashes yank hard on that rope to pull up a heavy bucket of water and load it onto the yoke while the boys squirmed at the chance to show their strength was a reminder at how lucky we are to have running water in our homes.
Watching the kids at Gettysburg line up in formation with their homemade flags flying high and re-enact Pickett's Charge where they marched on the same field that many soldiers died upon was completely moving. When the kids had to charge through the muddy bog and up a hill, one child's shoe stuck in the mud but he kept running to overtake the wall where they were instructed to charge to. The magnitude of the lives lost amplified by the pain the mothers must have felt sending their children and partners into battle really hit me in the Cyclorama where our whole group stood together in a 360 degree theater where the battle of Gettysburg was projected all around us. The sounds of bombs and guns, the flashes of light and smoke amid the scattered equipment and clothing brought all the senses into play as we tried to comprehend what these people did to bring our country to where it is today.
As each day passed and our limited hours of sleep accumulated, never once did I hear or see anyone get short or impatient with anyone. When the kids got too rambunctious and were told to settle down, they only had to be told once. It seemed like we were one big family and we were all looking out for each other.
Finally I have to say one of the most memorable moments that will stick with me is when we enjoyed our last night on the dinner cruise on the Potomac River. After dinner most of us went up to the outside deck and got some fresh air. When the music started the kids started dancing and laughing and when we passed under each bridge everyone would scream until we got out from under it. The illuminated monuments of Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln glided by us and the Capitol Building was like a beacon on the warmest night we'd had yet. The rain that was planned this evening had moved through the night before so we enjoyed our last night taking in the outside sights. But it was watching our kids command the downstairs dance floor, when we were asked to move back inside that really sealed the deal. We shared the boat with two high school groups: one from New York and one from Minnesota. Our kids formed a circle in the middle of the floor and took turns showing their moves and cheering each other on. After seeing how much fun our kids were having, a few high schoolers decided to try to join in. Only a few had the courage after seeing the moves these SLOCA kids had. It was such a wonderful ending to the whole trip.
-Sandi Twist
7th year at SLOCA on track B/B4, with children Gavin (Int) and Kendra (LMS)
Thank you for sharing these wonderful memo
rable moments with the rest of us. For those of you who went on the trip and have a magical moment to add, leave a comment below to add to this list of memories!
