Awe, horror, joy part of trip

COURTESY PHOTO Port Aransans in Washington Port Aransas students posing in front of the White House during a recent trip to Washington D.C. are, back row, from left: Chris Johns, Austin Henderson, Chase Chambers, Shelby Flores, Michael Safford, Kash Ousley, Jocelyn Flood, Jenna Ward, teacher Kristi Longanecker and chaperone Amy Flood; and, front row, from left: Cole Longanecker, Maddisson Shannon, Malaika Harder, Bakar Sackschewsky, Megan Forrest, Nickie Samudio, Alicia Smallwood and Austin Sergeant. Port Aransas kids experienced emotions that ranged from joy to awe to horror when they toured Washington D.C. recently.

They played in jet fighter flight simulators at the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution. They gaped at President Barack Obama’s motorcade as it cruised past. They toured a ton of memorials. They even found themselves on the fringes of a tragic event that made international news.

It was an enriching experience for the 16 Brundrett Middle School students, said teacher Kristi Longanecker, who accompanied the eighth graders on the June 9-12 trip.

“I think it made them want to travel and see more of these kinds of places that bring it all home to them and help them appreciate being an American,” Longanecker said.

The logistics of the field trip were handled by WorldStrides, a Virginiabased firm that organizes field trips and tours for students.

The trip was paid for through a variety of sources. Friends, parents and other relatives made donations. Some students received scholarships from WorldStrides.

The students also put on fundraisers inclulding drawings, bake sales, a silent auction and a garage sale. Longanecker, who teaches U.S. history and social studies, guided the students throughout the fundraising efforts.

Perhaps the most memorable but saddest part of the trip came on June 10, the students’ second day in Washington. After touring the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for about an hour, the students got on a bus to go their next tour. Minutes after they left, museum guard Tyrone Johns was shot to death. A suspect, 88-year-old white supremacist James von Brunn, was shot by other guards and hospitalized.

The Port Aransas group learned of the shooting about 30 minutes after leaving the museum, when Longanecker received a text message from one of the students’ parents who had seen a news story about the shooting. The text asked if everyone was alright.

“It was kind of scary,” said student Chris Johns. “Everyone got a call from their parents.”

The students remembered the guard because he stood out as a jocular, friendly man.

“The kids were really sad, because it was like we knew him that day, and lost him that very same day,” Longanecker said.

Though jarring, theincident was only a small part of the students’ trip. They toured Ford’s Theater, Mount Vernon, the Newseum, the National Archives and various museums within the Smithsonian Institution.

They also visited memorials dedicated to World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, and the Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt memorials.

Student Chase Chambers said he was struck most by ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

“You had to watch,” Chambers said. “It wasn’t dull or boring. They had to do a certain march. Every time they turned, they had to click their heels together.”

The students visited and posed for photos with U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, in his office. The group also caught a glimpse of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi walking down a congressional hallway.

Parent Amy Flood, who served as a chaperone, did a pencil rubbing of Port Aransas native Jerry McDonald’s name, where it was etched into the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. For years, Port Aransas schools annually have given Jerry McDonald Citizenship Awards to top students. Flood’s daughter, Jocelyn, won one of the awards this year.

Student Megan Forrest said her favorite part of the trip was simply meeting other touring students from all over the United States.

“You got to see they weren’t that different from us,” Forrest said. “They were surprised that we don’t talk country.”

Another student, Bakar Sackschewsky, said the trip gave her a new appreciation for America’s forefathers.

“It hit me that (the forefathers) were real people, just like us,” Sackschewsky said. “And we could have the same kind of impact.”