Dear Parents,
This year, while studying the history of our great country, several
students have said, “I wish we could take a field trip to these
places!” Others have chimed in that where they previously attended
school there was always an 8th grade trip offered to Washington, D.C.
or Boston. Still others said that their parents were actually surprised
there wasn’t a trip available as they themselves had done something
similar when they were in 8th grade. Some with older siblings
remembered that for many years, another LTMS teacher had
sponsored an 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. that their siblings had
gone on.
A Washington, D.C. trip alone is and would be great. But…I found one
even better! One that amazingly hits SO MUCH of what your students
have or will have learned by the end of this year in 8th grade and much
that they will learn in high school. It’s the Eastern Seaboard trip
offered by Education First. With this trip we would visit Boston, New
York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.! Talk about the
educational trip of a lifetime!
Just some of the historic places or events addressed and cultural sites
of interest that your child would experience are:
BOSTON:
Boston Common
Quincy Market
Harvard University/Cambridge
King’s Chapel
Boston Massacre
Boston Harbor and
Boston Tea Party Ship
Old South Meeting House (where the Sons of Liberty met—“This meeting can
do nothing more to save the country!”)
Old North Church (“One if by land, two if by Sea!”)
Paul Revere’s house
Bunker Hill
USS Constitution—“Old Ironsides”
Lexington & Concord—
LEXINGTON
Lexington Green (“The shot heard ‘round the world!”—opening
shots of American Revolution)
Buckman Tavern (where minutemen gathered waiting the arrival of
British troops on their way to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock)
Hancock-Clarke House (home of John Hancock’s aunt where Sam
Adams and Hancock were staying)
CONCORD
Old North Bridge—site of first real battle of American Revolution
Old Manse—Concord home and gathering place of literary giants
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau—
authors of books your children will be required to read in high school!
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Authors Row—burial place of Louisa
May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David
Thoreau
NEW YORK CITY:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Central Park
9/11 Museum and Memorial
Times Square
5th Avenue, Wall Street, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown, Little
Italy
Rockefeller Center
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Trump Tower
Empire State Building
Broadway—including attending a Broadway show!
PHILADELPHIA:
Carpenters Hall—where the First Continental Congress met in response to the
Intolerable Acts (if you don’t know what these were, ask your kids! ); also home
to the Bank of the United States (creation of which led to the development of
political parties in our nation—again, ask your kiddos about this! Who was for it,
who was against it and why? Which parties developed out of this, each led by
who? These political philosophies are the roots of the parties today—two
different political and economic philosophies that have existed from the
beginning of our nation! All stemming from the creation of this bank!)
Independence Hall—where the Second Continental Congresses met and where
the Constitutional Convention was held! Just some snippets of events
here: where George Washington was named Commander in Chief of the
Continental Army, where John Adams championed the cause of independence
with Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, where the Declaration of
Independence was signed…and then later where the Constitutional Convention
was held—where the Constitution was debated, written and signed with James
Madison and Alexander Hamilton leading the charge!
Franklin Court—where Benjamin Franklin’s home was; Benjamin Franklin
Museum
Liberty Bell and Liberty Bell Center
Congress Hall—where first U.S. Congress met in the Early Republic under the
new Constitution (1790-1800); where George Washington was sworn in as our
first president, as well as the inauguration of John Adams
WASHINGTON, D.C.:
Arlington National Cemetery— one of the most moving places any
American can visit. Students will witness the changing of the Guard at
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visit the Kennedy gravesites, Robert
E. Lee’s home.
Memorials: Washington Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln
Memorial, Marine Corps War Memorial/Iwo Jima Memorial, FDR
Memorial, MLK Memorial, Vietnam Memorial
Capitol Hill—U.S. Capitol and Visitors Center
U.S. Supreme Court—impressive!
Library of Congress—unbelievable!
National Archives—think the movie “National Treasure”! We’ll see
the actual Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of
Rights!!!!
Smithsonian Museums—National Air and Space Museum, National
Museum of American History,
National Museum of Natural History…Smithsonian…amazing to young
and old alike
Night Tour of Monuments—unbelievably beautiful!
International Spy Museum, including Operation Spy!—an immersive,
interactive experience where you’re the spy!
White House from exterior—photo stop
Mount Vernon—George Washington’s home and grounds, museum,
Washington’s Tomb
As you can see…what an amazing trip this will be! As I said earlier, the
trip is through Education First, therefore it is in no way affiliated with
LTMS or LTISD. Education First is a leader in educational travel
(see: http://www.ef.edu/about-ef/company/history/). Many fellow
teachers and friends of mine (within LTISD and in other districts) have
led groups to Europe, Central and South America, and the U.S. with
Education First and have had nothing but great experiences and stellar
recommendations regarding the company.
I have attached a power point and brochure regarding the trip and
Education First for you to check out. The dates for the trip are not set
but we’re tentatively planning to leave on the week of(June 15-22)
and be gone for a total of 8 days.
Cost for the trip may seem expensive at first but when you consider
everything included, it actually seems like a great deal to me. The cost
for the 8-day trip is $2309 but includes all airfare, hotels,
transportation, full-time tour director accompanying us, overnight
security in hotels, admission fees to all the places we go, all gratuities,
and breakfast and dinner. We could add lunches for $88 or kids can
add money for lunch to the spending money they bring. Again,
seeking feedback from those deciding to go about that. But, bottom
line, EVERYTHING is paid for in that price except for lunch and gift
shop money! If we want to add the $88 then it would literally be
everything. I’ll leave that decision to majority who want to go. All
meals are in area restaurants. (Adults are also welcome to attend,
too. The adult supplement is $345 for a total adult tour price of
$2666.) Cost can also be broken up into monthly payments of $556
with EF’s monthly payment plan. (See power point for all the options.)
Well, there you have the basics. I will be having a meeting at the
school next Tuesday , January 27th at 6:00pm in the LTMS Library for
those who are interested to get more information. We will have Paul
Tallon, our Education First representative, available to answer
questions via webcast. Please email me (sparksl@ltisdschools.org) if
you are considering signing up for the trip so I can just have an idea of
numbers and who is interested. Also, let me know if you plan to
attend Wednesday or if you have any other questions before then.
I look forward to hearing from you and am very excited about this
student-inspired trip. It’s an amazing opportunity for them to visit
some of our country’s most significant landmarks in four great and
historic cities along the Eastern Seaboard as well as being a wonderful
end to Middle School and great start to high school. For me… I love
American History, I love my students, and I love travel…so this trip is
perfect! 
Sincerely,
Leslie Sparks