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Honors U.S. History Staff Ride Helps Students Explore 'We the People'
The assignment for a group of 20 mostly Fort Worth ISD JROTC students was to link together the American Revolution, the Constitution, the Civil War (specifically Gettysburg), the atrocities of World War II, and the American Civil Rights movement, all under the over-arching theme of “We the People…”
Those students spent five days in historic Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Virginia searching for the answers. It was all a part of what’s called an Experiential Staff Ride, hosted by the JROTC Department working in conjunction with the District’s Social Studies Department. A Staff Ride is a historical study of a campaign or battle done on the grounds of the actual event.
This was the seventh Staff Ride conducted by the District as part of the Honors U.S. Military History program.
“We use the Staff Rides to provide a select group of students a greater understanding of a military heritage and the significance it has had on our country,” said LTC Richard Crossley, director of JROTC Programs.
Specifically, students visited:
- The Museum of the American Revolution
- Liberty Bell
- Independence Hall
- The first House of Representatives and U.S. Senate
- The National Constitution Center
- Valley Forge National Historical Park
- Gettysburg National Historic Park (including the David Wills House)
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture
- The Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials
- The National World War II Memorial
- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- The Korean War Veterans Memorial and
- The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery
Each evening students were divided into groups for a period of reflection and to help them begin the task of completing an essay that summarizes the personal feelings they discovered during the trip, as well as completing their primary assignment.
Evans Boodhna, a junior from South Hills High School, said “I learned that ‘We the People’ created the Constitution and that the United States would not be the same without us. It is our decision if we want something in the Constitution to change. This program has definitely prepared me to be a better citizen.”
Student Stephanie Trevino, also a junior at South Hills High School told us: “I have learned so much more about the Constitution and how it is interpreted. Ultimately, the question is where do I stand and so I want to learn more so I can exactly determine where I stand as a citizen.”
A video essay that captured the students’ expressions, expectations and experiences will be available shortly and posted as an update to this news release. A photographic gallery covering the five day staff ride is available at https://www.fwisd.org/domain/1480.
-FWISD-
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