Harker eighth graders arrived in the Washington, D.C., area over the weekend and have been greatly enjoying their trek through the nation’s capital and environs. The students landed in Williamsburg, Va., on Oct. 24 and spent the following day exploring the city. “The day was highly educational,” said Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs. “Through our tour of the Jamestown settlement and visit to colonial Williamsburg, the students learned a lot about our first permanent English settlement.”

Before touring the Jamestown settlement, students Kevin Moss, Anisha Padwekar and Regina Chen gave an informative presentation to their bus groups about the importance of the area. Students Vikram Naidu, Arjun Goyal and Vikram Sundar gave their own presentations on the historic city of Williamsburg.

“The highlight for the students was the colonial games we played at one of our stops in Colonial Williamsburg,” Gargano said. “Groups of students participated in a relay to see which team could roll a barrel hoop the fastest.”

The group began the following day by finishing up their tour of Williamsburg. Cyrus Merrill, middle school history teacher, got in spirit by dressing in colonial attire for the occasion. “I believe the highlight of the day was our visit to The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier after lunch at Pamplin Park,” Gargano recalled. “The students felt a part of history knowing that they were standing on the site of the Breakthrough Battlefield of April 2, 1865, where Union forces broke through Petersburg’s defense lines.”

The students also toured the museum wearing headsets that provided audio of the life of a particular soldier, which, Gargano said, “was quite interesting and moving for many students.”

Before the tour began, students Darian Edvalson and Arman Mortazavi gave presentations on the historical importance of Pamplin Park.

Later that day, the group arrived in the District, where they visited the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Many photos were taken there, with the iconic statue of FDR seated in his wheelchair being a favorite subject. Presentations by Sean Youn, Nathan Dhablania and Kiran Kothuri told of the history of Roosevelt and provided information about his memorial.

The trip will continue through the week with visits to Arlington Cemetery and Gettysburg National Military Park.