The freshmen are off to DC – equipped with three busses and seven senior chaperones! A few select seniors always accompany the younger class as peers and chaperones to enrich the experience. TJ Bush, Kennedi Carter, Ashley Dwyer, Elizabeth Finkelstein, Jack Gentry, and Lenox Hill all wrote short essays in order to apply for the position. They discussed their responsibility, strengths, ability to make the Washington trip amazing, and organization, necessary to make up the work they would miss. They were inspired to apply by their own memories from freshman year. Elizabeth’s favorite memory was visiting Williamsburg and “feeling like [she] was traveling back in time.” Ashley remembers being with her friends, as Anjaleah bought a cat laser and Alexis stayed up until 4am every night. Drey cannot forget the thrill of the “exorcism,” an event that will always be in the collective memory of the class of 2019. Jack arrived at Newman sophomore year and is excited to experience DC for the first time.

Fueled by their memories of the trip, the senior chaperones began to plan for this year’s adventure. The seniors started meeting more of the freshmen, making all of them excited to spend time together (even on a 16+ hour bus ride).  “They seem like a really fun class,” and I’m excited to “hang out with them and go on tours with them,” reported Ashley. Elizabeth and Jack looked forward to visiting specific places as a group. Since she missed it three years ago, Elizabeth can’t wait to see Monticello. Because the Museum African American History opened only two years ago, Jack is thrilled to have the chance to see it. “I’ve been eagerly wanted to go . . . since its announcement,” he said. Though the seniors have their concerns (from sleeping on the bus, to handling potential freshmen drama, to avoiding another government shutdown), they are well prepared and have lots of advice for the freshmen. Drey reminded them in five wise words: “be careful what you buy.” Elizabeth made sure to check the weather beforehand and encouraged the freshmen to “be prepared with clothes for cold and wet.” Although the trip is jam-packed with activities, freshmen, in their optimism and vivacity, can forget to sleep! Ashley’s advice is “to get to sleep! . . . Get back to the hotel, shower, and pass out. You’ll want sleep!” In order to take advantage of the class trip, all of the senior chaperones hope the freshmen socialize with different people. During tours and while exploring the city, talking to new groups of people can make the trip, and the rest of high school, remarkably more fun!

With seven smart senior chaperones, the DC trip is sure to be amazing! They leave Sunday, March 10, 2019 to travel to Charlottesville and Washington DC over the course of the week.