With temperatures in the upper 90s on May 18, many students and teachers stayed inside and enjoyed the perks of air conditioning. However, despite the heat, 11 students and two teachers drove down to Arlington National Cemetery for JDS’ annual pre-Memorial Day field trip, spending the day outside commemorating and honoring the United States’ fallen soldiers.
This year was the 18th consecutive year that the trip has run. The students who attended the trip included eight middle school students and three freshmen. According to middle school science teacher and trip co-coordinator Nick Miller, the goal of the trip each year is to learn about and honor the legacies of the people buried at the cemetery.
“We learned a lot, and most of all, we honored our soldiers who, even if they haven’t given their life in war, were part of our Army and Navy … so we go there to honor that,” Miller said.
Miller, high school Jewish Text teacher and trip co-coordinator Paul Blank and the students left JDS around noon. After an hour-long bus ride, the attendees began by walking around Section 60, which is the newest section of the cemetery.
Each gravestone or niche plaque at the cemetery is marked with the name of the deceased, their religion, a few lines about their military service and any awards they received during or following their service. Students looked for the plaques that had Stars of David, marking Jewish soldiers, as well as names of relatives or famous figures. Freshman Devin Stein appreciated that he could explore the grounds of the cemetery and learn about the buried soldiers by reading their gravestones.
“We were able to find relatives to some of the students here who are buried there, family friends and family members, as well as we got to see some famous [monuments],” Stein said.
The group then made the walk to the top of the cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They witnessed the Changing of the Guard in front of the tomb with other school groups that were visiting the cemetery as well. Sixth-grade student Levi Rubin, who hadn’t been to Arlington before the field trip, said that he was surprised by this part of the cemetery.
“It was pretty cool for me to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Rubin said. “[The trip] exceeded expectations.”
After some more exploring, the students made their way back to the bus. There, they were able to sign up for roles at the Upper School Memorial Day Assembly on May 21. The assembly this year commemorated the U.S. soldiers that died in the recent conflict in the Middle East, and students learned about these soldiers, in addition to the story of a veteran who was one of the last living men to have stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.
According to Miller, this will be the first Memorial Day assembly that is shared by the whole Upper School. He feels that this will allow the assembly to feel more solemn and meaningful, which he feels is the true meaning of Memorial Day that is generally lost on the American public.
“I wish people would take [Memorial Day] more solemnly than they do,” Miller said. “It’s not just sales and barbecues.”
