Junior class takes field trip to National World War I Museum and Memorial
The junior class went on a field trip to the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City on Oct. 22. The school has done this field trip before, though not for a couple of years.
“They used to go, and for whatever reason, maybe scheduling, they had to stop, but as a social studies department we really wanted to bring the trip back because we think it’s really valuable,” said U.S. History teacher Lynn Hoffman.
Hoffman values the field trip for a number of reasons.
“We had an opportunity to go and see the monument that was built by the citizens of Kansas City to honor the veterans, which is a really cool story behind the origin of it. We also got to experience a lot of interactive exhibits and artifacts that are really unique to World War I that you can’t find anywhere else in the world,” Hoffman said.
The students who went on the trip really enjoyed the experience.
“My favorite thing was that there were some artifacts that we could touch and look at,” junior Becca Clancy said.
Hoffman agrees that the artifacts were an important part of the trip.
“I think one of the hardest things for history students is to realize that this was a real thing with real people and not just an old story, so seeing artifacts and journal entries and stuff like that makes it more personal,” Hoffman said.
Students also enjoyed other aspects of the trip.
“I really liked how we saw all the different war posters they’d put up when they were trying to recruit people and the different propaganda they used,” junior Gabby Mallozzi said.
In addition to enjoying the trip, Clancy added that the experience was very educational.
“We haven’t studied World War I yet, and that’s our next subject to study, so the trip gave us some background knowledge for when we start,” Clancy said.
Junior Adam Rettig agreed, adding that he “didn’t even know who fought in World War I until this field trip.”
Field trips help students to understand the material they are taught in their classes, and they are enjoyable experiences, according to Hoffman and the student body.
