This week’s blog post was written by former Pinewood student Emily Ruf. Emily was able to immerse herself in United States history this summer through an exciting trip to Washington D.C.. Emily was gracious to share her experience with the Pinewood community through this blog post below.
On July 25 I had the opportunity to sleep over at the National Archives in Washington D.C. The National Archives display some of the worlds most important documents including The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and a 1297 copy of The Magna Carta.
I became interested in this program when I saw an add for it on facebook. I did some research and saw that it would probably be worth my while. I filled out and online application along with a few paper forms. In the weeks preceding the program I received a few emails about the activities and speakers of the upcoming event. They sent me mini-biographies about Lewis and Clark, Sally Ride and Claire Atchison who were speaking at the event (O.K. Lewis and Clark and Sally Ride were represented by interpreters who spoke on their behalf)
On July 19th my family made the 11 hour journey to Pennsylvania where we visited family. On the 24th we drove for 2 and a 1/2 hours to Reston, Virgina outside of Washington D.C.. We explored the more popular attractions of Washington via bus tour and continued exploring into the next day.
Later that evening my grandfather and I entered the Archives. We were briefly security screened which was followed by a prompt orientation. After that we got to participate in a number of activities. I got to make an explorer badge, pack food for an “expedition”, get a snack, play dress up, read documents, explore the rotunda, and I still didn’t do it all. We then had the opportunity to ask the speakers questions. I asked Sally Ride what her favorite space food was. (M and Ms). After that we heard bedtime stories and rolled out our sleeping bags on the marble floor of the rotunda.
In the morning we had delicious pancakes flipped by none other than the archivist of the United States. After that I saw a copy of the Magna Carta from the year 1297 which was by far my favorite part of the whole experience. There where also chocolate ambassadors there. They made chocolate in front of our eyes from a recipe circa 1776.
Then it was time to leave but they gave us gift bags to commemorate the experience. They had plenty of prizes ranging from coloring pages to books. This trip was not one to forget.
I would sleep on the hard marble floors again in an instant. I would recommend this trip to anyone. There were plenty of fun things to do and see regardless of what your interested in.
Emily Ruf and her Grandfather at The National Archives
