Newfield in Washington DC

By Alex Shulder and Bricen Peinado Photos by Weronika Karpio

On November 17, forty-four Juniors and Seniors from both Newfield and Centereach High School went on a field trip with their social studies classes to the nation’s capital. Students were able to visit some of the city ’s most famous memorials and monuments, even touring Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer’s office.

We departed from Newfield at 6 AM Thursday morning and arrived in Washington DC in the early afternoon. The first stop was the White House, which took us into an urban area of Washington DC. We had a nice view of the north side of the White House, and many students took pictures. The next stop was the World War II memorial, which features dozens of pillars going around an oval-shaped fountain pool, to commemorate those who served in the war. Fifty-six is the exact number of pillars, each one symbolizing a US State, territory, or the capital itself. After that, we visited the National Museum of African American History & Culture, which showcased many displays about slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the civil rights movement in the 20th. There were also lots of exhibits within these categories, such as those about the Abolition Movement in the mid-18th century, and the changes in pop culture and sports from the 1950s to the 1980s.

After our dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, there were still three more memorials to visit. First was the Korean War Veterans Memorial, which was one of the most intriguing ones to me. It featured 19 statues of soldiers and a reflective granite wall. Etched into the wall, from a distance, would appear to be mountains similar to the terrain in Korea, but upon closer inspection, you could see the faces of soldiers who died. The 19 soldiers also have importance, because if you include their reflections on the granite wall, there would be 38 total soldiers, which is a very symbolic number in this war. The Korean War not only lasted 38 months but the war was also fought over the 38th parallel, which was the dividing line of latitude between North and South Korea. After this, our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial, another one of my favorites. In this Greek-style memorial, sits one of the biggest statues in Washington DC, a nineteen-foot-tall, free-standing statue of Abraham Lincoln. Inscribed on the walls of the memorial were two of Lincoln’s most famous speeches, the Gettysburgh address, and his Second Inaugural address. On the outside of the memorial, the thirty-six columns represent the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death, and the bordering on the top of the memorial features 48 states, only 6

excluding Alaska and Hawaii which were not states yet. Our last memorial of the day was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, one of the saddest in the capital. Designed by 21-year-old college student Maya Lin, the memorial symbolizes a large wound healing, because of national controversies caused by the war. Names are still being added to the wall to this day because many people were never confirmed to be KIA, due to the nature of the war.

The second day was arguably the best part of the trip. After waking up, packing, and having a quick hotel breakfast, we got back on the bus and made our way to the Capitol Building. The security line was surprisingly quick, and before we knew it, we were meeting up with tour guides, one of whom is a Newfield alumni, and entering Senator Chuck Schumer’s office. The inside of the Capitol Building is beautiful, every wall is hand painted and there is lots of history throughout the rooms and hallways.

Our next stop on the tour was upstairs to the rotunda. The giant frescos were painted in 1865 by Constantino Brumidi, an Italian artist who moved to the U.S. The beautiful artwork depicts many symbols of the values America was founded on. Following this was a trip to the statue room in which there are statues donated by every state depicting an important figure from the state.

One of the most exciting parts of Day Two was being able to meet two capital workers and ask them questions. The first one we met has been working for Senator Schumer for over a decade and is from Long Island. The other person is from Florida and has been successfully campaigning for Democrats in red areas. They were asked a range of questions that included topics such as the January 6th Insurrection and their personal party background and values.

Once we were done with a quick meal in the Congress Canteen we went across the street to the library of congress. Built in the 1930s, it houses a Gutenberg Bible, a plethora of books from Thomas Jefferson's personal library, and a section of books meant for researchers only. And just like the Capitol Building, it really is beautiful. This concluded the trip and we took the bus ride back to New York.

Overall this trip was amazing. We’d like to give a big thank you to our chaperones/teachers Mr. Latham, Ms. McMillen, and Mr. Rennard for organizing and creating this opportunity for us to make unforgettable memories while also learning.