National Museum of the American Indian and National Museum of American History – 2/15/10 Robin Shin & Cryst Li

On Monday, the 15th of February, we began an exciting tour in Washington D.C. Our first visit was to the National Museum of the American Indian. Established in 1989, the museum is the first of its kind dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibitions of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. One of the exhibitions which caught our attention was the "Indivisible” exhibition, which focused on the interactions between African American and Native American people, especially those of blended heritage. The exhibit guided us to consider not only the things that these people of blended heritage shared, such as histories, communities, families and ways of life, but also highlighted the prejudice and twists of history which divided them. This was a great opportunity for us to start with thinking about the term ‘indivisible’ in order to understand their history from a perspective of the native people.

We were amazed by the museum’s extensive collection and information about Native American tribes. Walking through displays of all kinds of cultural materials, including aesthetic and religious artifacts as well as works of historical significance, helped us to learn about the native culture of all Americas, including the tribes of United States, Canada, Central and South America, and also the Caribbean. It was interesting to get further knowledge about those tribes which we already talked about in class, such as the Cherokees, and to explore their culture by investigating these amazing artifacts.

After visiting the National Museum of American Indian, we ate our lunches and headed off to the National Museum of American History. When we got there, we started off by entering an exhib where we could explore the "Star Spangled Banner." Upon entering, we read about Frances Scott Key’s inspiration in the flag that wrote his famous lyrics about. What I learned form this exhibit is that both the flag and the song expressed diverse ideas of patriotism and national identity.

We saw another interesting exhibit, "American on the Move,” in the museum’s Transportation Hall, which includes about 340 objects and features 19 historic settings in a chronological order, including the building of the railroad, the development of the streetcar and the evolution of the automobile. The artifacts that were exhibited identified vital aspects of the nation’s transportation system and their contributions to the economic, social and cultural history of the country. "America on the Move” inspired me. Since I am interested in automobiles, this gave me a context of a part of our history that led to the significance of automobiles. Overall, the trip to the National Museum of American History was an exciting experience, and I have learned many interesting historical facts.

Outward Bound reflection – 2/16/10
Jami Harmond

Before even reaching Outward Bound, I, like many of my classmates, was skeptical about what I would soon be experiencing. I had never been camping before and to be honest, the only thing that really made me scared was that I would end up in a group of people in my class that I wasn’t friends with. But I later realized that I was just being pessimistic, and I wasn’t considering the positive outcomes that might result from this experience.

On February 8, I stepped foot on the Outward Bound base and just like I had feared, I was put in a group with people I barely knew. I wasn’t very open in any of the activities we first engaged in, and I wasn’t very open socially either. By the end of the night, I started to feel more comfortable around the group. The second morning came and I remember feeling so rejuvenated after having 9 hours of sleep the past night. I’d never slept that much on a school day in my life. We ate breakfast that we prepared ourselves and played games in the room of the house we were staying in. I was finally starting to warm up to everybody and now I walked around smiling rather than frowning. My counselors Garrett, Judd and Jeff, were really funny and they made it easier to have a good time. A snow storm was on its way so we stayed inside and participated in "trust” exercises, where we fell back into our partners’ arms, closed our eyes while the group swayed us around, and laid down on the floor cross legged as the rest of the group lifted us up to their knees and then to their waist. These activities brought the group closer together, and so did the "Common Ground” activity, where members of the group would listen to a statement and step in if they believed it related to them. This helped us all to learn that we all much more in common with one another than we previously realized – and so friendships became stronger and bonds were made.

The third day came sooner than expected and we headed outside, where we strapped on harnesses to climb up a pole and jump off after stating a challenge we dealt with at school. I watched as everyone successfully made it to the top and wondered/hoped whether I could do the same. I told the instructor that it was my goal to make it all the way, but when I first stepped on the ladder up the pole I wanted to just jump right off. There was no way I was going to make it the top, or at least I thought I wouldn’t. With the support of my group and my counselors, I made it and shared that my greatest challenge at school was being 5 hours away from my own foundation of support: my family. I felt so proud of myself and I learned that even when I don’t believe I can do something, I can if I truly try. That night, we all hung around in a new house we moved to (this time with heat!) and sat in a circle where we all took turns talking about ourselves for 2 minutes. We all had to listen to each other and once we were all finished, Judd gave us a quiz on what each person had said. We passed the quiz with excellent scores and were even promised a prize the next day.

Finally, the fourth day came. I didn’t know if I should’ve been excited or upset, so I didn’t think anything, and I just had the best time. We went rock climbing, which seemed easier than the pole but it was actually much harder. I couldn’t go any further than halfway, and even though I didn’t make it far, I was glad for what I achieved. Later on, we had a graduation ceremony, where everyone received a "diploma” from another individual who spoke about them. The ceremony made everyone appreciate each other even more, and it showed us all that we cared for each other a lot. We even built a "quinzy," which was similar to an igloo, since we had around 40 inches of snow outside.

We reunited with our class and exchanged hugs and realized how much we missed each other over the Outward Bound course. Now that I think about it, I am truly glad that I was given the opportunity to experience this, and I would do it all again with the same group that I once dreaded and the same counselors that made me laugh all day. Outward Bound was amazing and taught me things I never even knew about myself.

Holocaust Museum - 2/19/10
Olivia Weese

Today, our class (Threes) took a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. I had thoughts in my mind about what to expect and knew a lot about the attempted destruction of the Jews - but I guess it never really hit home the way it did until I saw the hundreds of shoes belonging to men, women, and children who had been killed in the concentration camps. We stood in the "Tower of Faces,” and I was overcome by emotion; we walked down the Hall of Remembrance and, as some of us lit candles, the silence in the room gave us all time to reflect on the fear and strength the Holocaust has instilled in us.

The generations of donors that have given back to help everyone reflect and acknowledge this terror of our past is a never ending list, and we spent some time being able to find relatives and friends who support the growth and accuracy of the museum. Despite the horrific things that were available for the eye to see it was a good learning experience because it helped me understand the severity of the Holocaust, two generations later. I think it is important that people of all backgrounds are welcome and able to visit the museum for both education and history. Although it happened more than 50 years ago, the history lives on forever and the memories will never be forgotten.

Outward Bound Reflection

Bethany Bennett

 

On February 8, 2010, the Threes class set out for a four-day expedition in Baltimore city. We were all packed and did not know what to expect. Some people were excited and others were scared; some people just didn’t know what to think. When we got to the base at Outward Bound we were met by some very eager instructors and some very large snow pants (yes we had to hike just to get to our destination because the road was not plowed)! It was our first of many hiking expeditions we would encounter in the next four days. As we approached the base, we were told what classmates we would be living with for the next week. We then separated and joined our new instructors. At that point we were told that we would not be venturing out into Baltimore City this week, but rather staying on base because we were snowed in.

 

Our four days were filled with challenges that helped us step out of our comfort zone. Our group, "The Pineapples,” faced rock climbing in 30-mile-per-hour winds and snow, building fires in a blizzard, and jumping off of a 30-foot pole. All of these adventures helped us build rusting bonds with our classmates, which was exactly what we were there to do. We were also faced with personal challenges, such as drinking water, extreme temperatures we were not used to, and food that we may have never thought of eating. I can honestly say that I now have this inseparable bond with several of my class mates because of this genuine experience. We all share inside jokes and phrases that only come from living in extreme conditions where you rely on becoming a tight knit-community.

 

On a personal level, I can honestly say that Outward Bound has been the best thing I have experienced since arriving at St. Timothy’s School. The campus itself is wonderful, as are all of my teachers and classmates, but learning to bond with them outside of the dorms and classrooms was amazing. To know that I have friends who have my back in any environment is something that only comes from pushing your limits in a place like Outward Bound. Another aspect of Outward Bound that was special was learning to trust people we had never met before. The bonds we made with our instructors were truly incredible; to put that much trust in a person you barely know takes a lot of guts.

 

I will never forget my Outward Bound experience because it was like nothing else in the world. I expect to go on many more Outward Bound expeditions in my lifetime. Outward Bound was a great experience for me, and I hope many of my fellow classmates can look back at those days we shared together in the woods as a moment of true friendship. It is an experience everyone should have at least once in her lifetime.

AFL-CIO and DNC, DC – 2/17/10
Christine Sabuni & Melody Soto

 

Today our class visited the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Independence Organization is a union that acts as a voice for people at work and working families. They work on matters ranging from jobs, health care, retirement security, global economy, workplace safety, non-discrimination and voting rights.

 

"We are an independent voice for workers.” – Amaya, Head of Media

 

We were privileged to meet with three workers at the AFL-CIO. The union, at this point, is currently working on health insurance reform; getting people elected who stand for the interests of working people, retirement security, safety and health issues; building activists to volunteer to lobby congress to take action on important issues; work with legislatures to get bills that help working people; educate their own members on how they can play a role and be active and helping to get unemployed people back to work and to improve the conditions for those working now. They use means of media both old and new to get the information on these subjects in order to "give people an ‘on-the-ground’ perspective” on challenges they may be facing and educate them. (- Amaya, Head of Media)

 

After our visit to the AFL-CIO, we went to the Democratic National Committee headquarters where we met three spectacular young men and women working for the party. The first was a woman who originally worked on the Obama campaign, but as it came to an end met with others and created the OFA. The OFA (Organizing for America), which is partnered with the DNC, works toward promoting Obama’s agenda through field work and new media. Nicole Aro works in New Media, which is a new form of publication used primarily in the Obama campaign. In his campaign, the President didn’t want people to have to look for information about him as they would’ve done with traditional media such as television and newspapers; rather, he wanted to have a presence in the everyday lives of American citizens. Subsequently, teams were created to accommodate the new fields of media being created; there were teams of people who organized YouTube videos, created blogs, worked on social media, and designed graphics for Obama’s "brand.” This was the first time new media was so heavily used in a presidential campaign, and thus, it set the bar for the RNC and all future campaigns.

 

The third speaker was Kyle DeBeer, the Midwest Regional Political Director for the DNC. He talked about his job managing the Democratic National Committee’s relationship with the greater political party and working with states in the country to compile the ever-important voter profiles. He tries to sway senators, governors, and delegates in states to speak in support of the President’s agenda.