US History II Field Trip Pictures Are Here!!

The Best Field Trip Ever!!

Students from my US History II class took a field trip on Wednesday. In Gridley, their first stop, Clark Stoller, an avid World War II historian, lectured to us. Students were treated to a dazzling display of WWII weaponry, stories of courage, and left with a greater appreciation for history and the brave men who sacrificed their lives. The learning experience was certainly a physical and mental one, as Dylan quickly found out!

Students then visited Mr. B's parents' home, eating a delicious lunch of pork barbeque sandwiches. Mr. B's dad showed them an M-1 Garand rifle, which was the primary weapon the US troops used in WWII.

At Ronald Reagan Museum at Eureka College, my seniors enjoyed an entertaining tour given by Brian Sajko, curator of the Museum. Everyone agreed that he was hilarious as he told us special Reagan stories and also put in a convincing pitch for Eureka College! Students found it interesting that Reagan repeatedly sent artifacts back to Eureka College after he graduated, as the College was like part of his family. I think everyone appreciated the free Jelly Bellies at the end of the tour, which were Reagan's favorite candy!

Final stop of the day was at Rave Motion Pictures in Peoria. Casey Dean had recommended I watch the film "Frost/Nixon," and after doing a basic Google search I quickly found out about Valkyrie. After telling my seniors about it, they started getting pretty excited about seeing the film, as all kinds of previews for the flick are on TV. "Valkyrie," which depicts the attempted assassination of Hitler in 1944, was fantastic and certainly a couple history lessons in itself. We needed most of the day on Thursday to recap the movie and figure out everything that took place! Definitely as good as advertised.

This was the first field trip that I've ever done for any of my classes, and what a way to start! I told them as we stopped at Casey's in Lewistown that I couldn't be more proud of them, and I mean it. This was the perfect group for the field trip, and you can chalk up yet another special memory I will have of the Class of 2010.

Be sure to check out the pictures on the "Slideshow" section on the right-hand side of the page!