Student Blog

Washington D.C. was probably the best trip that I have ever been on! It was full of excitement and stuff to learn! It was even better because I had a choice of what I could look at or go to and it benefited me. I loved it! I enjoyed it so much that I can't wait to go back again when i'm older or have children! It was absolutely amazing! My favorite part was the last day at the Holocaust Memorial Museum! It was what I had been looking forward to the whole time and was well worth it! So much information about it and so interesting to learn. Although it was devastating it was great! Also, while walking to get Starbucks, Mallory and I were about to see a motorcade which we thought may have been Obama! Totally awesome because how many times do you get to go to D.C. and see that on your first time there?! As they explained, I was one of those crazy white girls that screams "OMG! It's Obama!" haha! I had an amazing time and so thankful that I go to go! Thank you so much for the opportunity! I hope I get to go on a trip next year just as fun and exciting! Allie Ball

Student Blog

Favorite Experience...

My favorite visit was probably the Lincoln Memorial, along with a nice breeze and a great view! ~ Mack Watson

Staff Blog

Still today, those who went on LC2DC are discussing it and what an amazing experience it was. Students, faculty, and staff alike are expressing the tremendous impact this trip had on all. D.C. has a lot to offer, from art and history to political activity (and each was part of this trip) but what made this trip special was the "Louisburg College family", as many have put it, that attended. We were able to share our interests and knowledge, learn about each other, and discover new worlds within this family.

Some of the highlights for me were seeing the students and some staff experience D.C. for the first time. From the Metro to the Capitol, each seemed to hold equal grandeur.

The trip started with a bus ride that flew by, it seemed. Watching Independence Day and The American President kept us entertained, but didn't damper the interaction that a good bus ride incubates. Upon arriving and going over some trip details, all enjoyed the facilities of the National 4-H Youth Conference Center. My favorite moment came with three RCCs graciously scrounged together $1.50 in change to get me a Diet Coke (who carries change anymore!?); thanks, Yosi, Sam, and Von!

7:00am breakfast came early but was worth it. Everyone was on time and ready to go. We made it to the Metro and many were impressed by the escalator that seemed to travel a mile underground. It was smooth sailing (or railing) into D.C. as we arrived at Union Station. The short walk to the Capitol Visitor Center, we had the only rain we experienced that day and we arrived ready to see this $600 million facility. Inside, students explored the great museum displaying artifacts from Senate and House of Representative's history along with the many statues from states around the country.

Departing the Capitol we went to the National Gallery of Art. Professor Will Hinton took us through the gallery and showed us the Caulder mobile flying above the lobby. Students were left to explore. I was excited about the exhibit of Picasso drawings. The progression of his style was chronicled through pencil, charcoal, and pastels.

From the NGA, students had their choice between the Natural History Museum or the American History Museum (or, as I put it, dirt or cool stuff... I was a History major). Students came away discussing all the things they saw and were impressed by the collections. I enjoyed seeing the Star Spangled Banner again and enjoying some coffee in the cafeteria with faculty.

From there, it was off to the Old Post Office. This was one of the places I was most excited for the students and faculty to experience. It is the third highest point in D.C. and you can go up the bell tower for an amazing view. Most of the group took the trip up and were able to see all of the capital.

We had dinner and left the Old Post Office and headed out on our walking tour. First, the White House. Depending on who you were with, we either saw the front or back of the White House. Not sure if Mr. Obama was home, but the lights were left on for us. It was then off to the Washington Monument and World War II Memorial. As Fonda Porter stated later, "we arrived just at the right time for photos," as the sun was just disappearing and the moon was coming out. It was then off to the Vietnam War Memorial. I believe this is still one of the most somber memorials and with its impact on those who walk past the thousands and thousands of names. It was made more real when I saw a student searching the wall and discovered he had a relative's name on the wall.

From there it is a short walk and long climb up to the Lincoln Memorial. This is the my favorite. The power of this memorial comes in the size of Lincoln and the detail of his hands and face. Reading the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address you are reminded of how close we came to dissolving as a nation.

It was then off to the Korean War Memorial, with its haunting statues. This memorial evokes an uneasy feeling, similar to the feeling you may have about the war.

Finally that night was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. This memorial possibly sparked the most conversation and differing interpretations. I was struck by the placement of the memorial with King staring across the Tidal Basin directly at the Jefferson Memorial. Jefferson, who wrote that "All men are created equal" and King who fought and died almost 200 years later trying to fulfill that statement confront each other here. It was very powerful.

On Sunday, the group made it back to D.C. and had the option to explore several different sites. I decided to go the National Archives and see the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I loved seeing that while writing the US Constitution, the writer made mistakes and had to insert several words (like "the"). These corrections then had to be explained at the end of the document to make them official. Lesson, spell check! On the way to lunch I noticed a lot of police and FBI cars (and helicopter) around. I shortly found out that the President was going to be driving by back to the White House. I stuck around and saw his motorcade travel by.

The group came back together at the National Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum is designed to put you through the experience of the Holocaust. You start by receiving a small booklet with the picture and name of someone in the Holocaust. My person's last name was "Gani"... which took my breath away with the similarity of our names. You take your booklet and board an elevator with a dozen other people. You are not packed in, but there isn't a lot of room (if this was a train car during the Holocaust, twice as many would be packed in). You are taken to the 3rd floor and you begin the journey. You learn about the rise of the Nazi party and Hitler's power. You learn of the anti-Semitic laws and behavior that was spreading across Europe and the start of WWII. Exiting the 3rd floor you are given a brief reprieve with benches looking over an art installation of four large canvases, three rectangular and one pie shaped, painted completely white. The 2nd floor is about the Final Solution and the death camps. One of the most powerful pieces is a train car that you walk through. On the side of the entrance all is normal, but when you exit and look down there are the suitcases of the passengers thrown to the ground; the passengers will not need their possessions where they are going. Further in the exhibit is a listening room where you hear the testimony of survivors and what they went through; they speak as if this happened yesterday. Leaving the floor is the room filled with shoes; can anyone imagine 6 million pairs of shoes that no longer have their owner? The last floor of the exhibit is liberation and freedom. The end of the war and the liberation of the camps. You exit out into the Hall of Remembrance, its simplicity and peacefulness. You need this closure.

We left the museum and made it back to our bus. The trip home was quiet as we watched Forrest Gump. I believe we were all ready for our own beds.

This was an amazing experience and this only touches the surfaces of all we saw and did.
~Brian Gano

Staff Photos

Photos by Jason Modlin showing faculty sharing insight to the students...

Dr. Kelvin Spragley tells the students about the Natural History Museum and
the American History Museum before students choose which to explore.

Director of the Library Candace Jones shares information on
what the Holocaust was before students
enter the National Holocaust Memorial Museum. 

Student Blog

Finally back from DC and tired doesn't even express how my body feels. The trip was amazing and an experience that I'll never forget. My favorite and the part of the trip and the part that I was looking most forward to was the Holocaust Museum. I love studying the holocaust so visiting made it so much more authentic. Actually seeing all of the sites were wonderful. The walking was tiresome and there were times I wanted to just stray away and do my own thing. Also on the trip I made a new friend and that is always a plus. I would do the trip again, I feel as if we went with a great group of people and everyone has made long-lasting memories. I can't imagine not going to the trip, so I am glad that I did go. ~ Rasheeda Covington

Staff Blog

My thought... 

From Hall of Remembrance at the
National Holocaust Memorial Museum

As I entered the Remembrance Room at the Holocaust Museum with the candles encircling me, I felt a sense of peace, until I went to leave and walked past all of the candles. There was a candle out, which made me tearful as I felt the "light",of that candle, symbolizing a life, had gone out. I searched for a stick to relight the candle, but the tea light had burned to the bottom. I felt sad as I left knowing there was a candle not burning....... ~ Fonda Porter

Faculty Blog

My Fellow Pilgrims,

Yes, we are pilgrims when we journey together for a common goal, in our case, to experience the artifacts and memorials that represent much of what is the best, and sometimes, what is the worst of our collective cultures.  A highlight of the trip for me -- and there were many -- was the image of Tianha in an arabesque of sorts between the two great stones at the entrance to the Martin Luther King Memorial.  Her arms were swung high and broad as though she was celebrating the parting of the stones, even suggesting that she was responsible for parting the stones, herself.  This image captures a sense of appreciation for the events that were memorialized there, the movement beyond those events and the fact that we must all continue to be responsible for contributing toward social justice when we see inequities in our own time.  

The Holocaust Museum further underscored the need for each of us to be awake to our personal responsibility to our fellow beings, in our micro-cultures, our meso-cultures and our macro-cultures.   In other words, do we stand up for our classmates when they are in need or mistreated or bullied?  Do we care enough about poverty or homelessness in our cities that we invest a few minutes to give a canned good, or register to vote?  Do we care enough about the type of genocide that we saw exhibited at the Holocaust Museum to listen to the news or read an article that  describes the horrors that are occurring in our own time in such places at Darfur or Syria?

And based on the type of interaction that I witnessed among our group, I would say that, yes, we are willing to stand up for those who are in need.  I want to thank all of you for the honor of spending this time among you to witness the authentic inquisitiveness that you bring to your experiences and the dignity that you account to your fellow man. 

And you are all a lot of fun!  Please send in your great photos!

~ Kaye Yadusky

Faculty Blog and Photos

From Professor Tommy Jenkins: 

The stare and the crossed arms, the most conspicuous aspects of the Dr. King Memorial.  There is an element of defiance in the pose and in the eyes.   I think this symbolizes an attitude of courage.  It took an iron-rod quality of courage for this man to accomplish what he did.  It also speaks to his complete legacy.  Dr. King's activism did not end in 1963.  He continued until his tragic death to stand against injustice.  

We often speak frivolously of symbolism.  The true power of a symbol comes from our engagement with it.  A symbol asks us to enter into a dialogue with it to understand its qualities.  

The students at the base of the memorial add a sense of scale, but they also demonstrate a willingness to enter into that dialogue with this momentous symbol.  

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Inside the Smithsonian American History Museum's transportation section, sits this massive, shiny, locomotive engine.  The year of the engine is 1927 and it came from Salisbury, North Carolina. 

Faculty Blog

The one thing that sticks with me…

Lincoln Memorial
Photo by Brian Gano

After all is said and done with the DC trip, I am left with the acceptance of the unknown in Lincoln's face in his Memorial; the tilt of his jaw, the sincerity in his eyes...  Like any successful work of Visual Art, and although I am now five hours away from it, I can close my own eyes and still see with clarity his expression of acceptance and vulnerability.   I imagine the texture of his voice when he said that, "a house divided cannot stand."  Although his death was 150 years ago, his hopes and dreams are as alive as whoever find themselves standing in front of this statue today.  Now, how am I called to accept and not to judge in his image?"   ~ Will Hinton

Heading Home

On our way back. It's been an amazing trip. After we get dinner I suspect many will be drifting off to sleep.