Safety patrol trip

One milestone follows another. The day after elementary school graduation, Megan was on her way to Washington, D.C. for the annual Safety Patrol trip. She and about 14 of her classmates and 2 teachers (along with students and teachers from other schools) were headed north for a whirlwind tour of our nation's capital.


















Although I was suffering pangs of anxiety as Megan boarded the bus, she felt no such qualms, and couldn't wait to depart on her adventure. A few classmates had some nerves Friday night, but by Saturday, everyone was fine and up for the day.





After an eight hour bus ride on Friday, they stopped at the Air and Space Museum before checking into their hotel. On Saturday morning, breakfast was at 7am. Eating early is critical if you are going to see the National Zoo, Arlington Cemetary, various Smithsonian museums and the Jefferson Memorial before calling it a day!

On Sunday, they started even earlier, 6:30 am, so as to make it to Mt. Vernon, Fort Hunt Park, the U.S. Capitol, the White House, and the Lincoln, WWII, Vietnam, Military Nurses, and Korean War Memorial. Whew, I'm tired just typing it!

The extravaganza that is the Safety Patrol trip has to be experienced to believed. They take 1200 5th graders to Washington, D.C. by bus with the precision of a military operation. There were 24 buses lined up with multiple police cars and motorcycles leading the procession and bringing up the rear. On Monday afternoon, as friends and family crowded the mall parking lot, we could hear them turn on their sirens as they got off the interstate. A police helicopter escorted them back to the mall, and then 1200 exhausted, bleary-eyed, happy children disembarked.

It took Megan a full 48 hours to recover. But it was definitely a growing experience for me, and I think, for her. She had a great time, and I coped through the support and solace of Facebook. :)