Our group of 11, plus two chaperones, headed into DC at 5 a.m. to stake out a spot on the mall as close to the historic event as possible. We had a scary moment of being swept off our feet with the crowd in the dark, but we were able to stay together as we snaked our way to a primo spot close to the second Jumbotron, but also as close to the Capitol as we could get without a ticket.
"We had a great spot beside the Jumbotron," said Shannon Jacobson. "We could see the figures at the Capitol with our cameras."
"Running toward the Capitol was something I'll never forget," said Steven Murphy."
We waited five hours for the inauguration to begin. Jess Minton killed some time by making a flag out of pebbles in the dirt around us. She was interviewed by a couple of local TV stations about her art work.
The crowd was pumped and so were we, as Barack Obama took the oath and gave his speech."It was moving and fun to be in the crowd, waving our flags..." I really liked Obama's speech." said Jessica Meservey.
"The one liner about war; his stance on American military conflicts impressed me," said Eliot Douin.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in DC, some of us watching the parade from the auditorium of the Museum of Natural History, while others shopped or explored the mall area.
Tonight, we celebrated at ESPN Zone, in the NW section of the city, passing many inaugural ball goers on our way.The whole day was an incredible experience, an uplifting day that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.
Observations compiled and recorded by Ms. Lannin as we rode the bus out of DC on Inauguration Day
How exciting!! As I was watching the event on T.V. in our classroom at Hollis Elementary I couldn't help but think of all of you. I could only imagine the excitment you all must of felt. I also felt very proud that a group of our students were there to witness such an historic event.
ReplyDeleteHeather Murphy
Hi Kids,
ReplyDeleteI posted a response but put it at the Inauguration By the Numbers posting where you prob. would not think to look. Nice pictures and good writing! I wondered where you might be as I watched it all today. Some estimates are toward 3 million. And you were there! What an experience!! Glad you didn't get separated.
Mrs. (Flynn) Lowe
What a day! What an experience! Great pictures here! Can't wait to see the 'special' issue of the Times. -Mr. Norton @BEMS
ReplyDeleteIt's been exciting following your visit to our nations capital for this historic event. Thank you for letting us experience this momentous occasion through your eyes. Get home safe!
ReplyDeleteAunt Jackie
Terrific to hear all about this! Watched it on TV and found it so moving... can't imagine how much better it was to be part of the experience there. This had to be a life changing experience.
ReplyDelete