The Safety Patrol from Pinecrest Elementary School went on a fantastic tour of Washington, DC, where they visited several of the historical sites in our nation’s capital.

"During the entire trip, the kids were just amazed and in complete awe," said Vivian Fornet, the Safety Patrol coordinator and Spanish teacher at Pinecrest Elementary. "Everything that they had learned in school and read about in history books, they had the opportunity to see. The tour had a tremendous impact because it made history more of a reality for the kids."

The 28 fifth graders, accompanied by 10 parents and two teachers, set out on this three-day momentous tour from May 12 to 14.

"Besides the educational aspect, the trip was also an end-of-the-year field trip to reward the kids for all the hard work that they have done throughout the year, especially in fulfilling their patrol duties."

Fornet said that one of the highlights of the tour is when the kids met Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart. "The kids were so taken aback and impressed when they met him. They had the opportunity to ask him questions and to talk to him one on one," Fornet said.

During their trip, the safety patrol visited: the Smithsonian Museums which include the Museum of American History, the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum; Mount Vernon; Ford’s Theater; Arlington Cemetery; the Capitol, and several of the memorials including the JFK Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Korean Memorial.

"What was so touching was when the kids visited the Vietnam Memorial. Most of them found the names of their relatives who fought in the war," Fornet said. "This made the trip even more memorable and meaningful for them. Not only was it enriching, but this made history have an even greater impact on them."

Fornet says that the consensus she received from everyone who went on the trip, was that they would do it all over again.