Today UNITE started off with a trip to Washington Metropolitan High School. Due to our recent mastery of the D.C. Metro system, we were able to arrive an hour EARLY and had time to tour the neighborhood! The place was gorgeous, and the houses were brightly colored and spectacularly decorated. I am sure pictures will be added soon.
The school experience was even better. The students and faculty were so excited to have us that they all wore red and black to support our colors. They had even made signs - printed AND hand painted! - with our colors, name, and good ole' Reggie!
The students in the PGC (Peer Group Connection) are the student leaders at the school. They gave us a wonderful tour of the school and we were able to meet most of the teachers as well. We had a lot of group discussion time with them and eventually we were taken into the classrooms to play "college jeopardy" with them. The students were really getting into the game and had a great time. After that we were able to spend more group discussion time. We learned a lot about the students and their lives and issues living in an urban area. It was very enlightening.
Afterwards, half of UNITE stayed to participate in a "College Panel" in which we told our stories and answered their questions. The other half was able to speak with the administration. It was wonderful! After that, we spent more time just chatting and hanging out with the students . The school was gracious enough to buy us pizza for lunch - it was GREAT.
After leaving the school, "Fun-Day Friday" began. We broke into two groups and split up to visit the different museums in the area! One group went to the African Art Museum, the Capital Building, the Library of Congress, and visited the Supreme Court. Apparently, handstands are not allowed outside of the Supreme Court... who knew?! The other group went to the Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery. Seeing the work of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, and others was enlightening and inspiring.
We met up for dinner at "Ollie's Trolley" - a classic burger and fries joint. The food was absolutely delicious and the place was packed with antique decor and coca-cola machines. We ended the night by splitting up again: The majority of us went to visit the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the White House. There are some "UNITE" photos that will be posted soon! The monuments were beautiful! The other group, the members who had already seen the sights enjoyed some downtown shopping.
All-in-all, we definitely saved the best for last. The school was SO excited to have us and we learned so much by getting to hang out with some average, typical DC high school students. It was heartwarming to see how much they cared. The sightseeing was also fabulous - we all got to enjoy the city for all that it had to offer. We are all so sad that the trip is over, but the memories we have made are unforgettable. Photos and videos will probably be added soon, so keep checking back. For now, we are all going to rest before our flight home tomorrow!
Peace, Love, and UNITE!
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