There was a hushed anticipation across Solefields car park at 5am on the final Friday of Lent Term. For the majority, this day would be like many others; lessons, lunch and eventually the 4:10pm bell that would signal freedom for 3 weeks or so. However, 50 lucky year 10 students, and 5 even luckier members of staff, had an appointment with North East USA.
Washington DC was first. Fuelled by excessive amounts of bacon, the Sevenoaks team had a march of their own to attend, starting with the Washington monument and finishing at the Capitol Hill via memorials to FDR, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Another day of museum hopping followed before a quick visit to Philadelphia, where we were greeted by two intriguingly dressed tour guides who directed us around all the sites, starting with Benjamin Franklin’s resting place and concluding with the awe-inspiring Independence Hall.
New York was next. In amongst the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, the team experienced an impressive amount of history and culture during the two day visit. Highlights included the Tenement Museum, which provided an intimate insight into the living conditions of immigrants during the early 1900s, and the renowned New York History Society.
On our final night in China Town, we had the pleasure of sharing our evening meal with an extremely lively Chinese wedding party and, after offering our best to the bride and groom, we retired to our hotel.
During the busy week, the students were given a unique insight into an array of historical moments and periods, an excellent time was had by all!
Mr. Harris
