This past Saturday, four NDA sophomores and I departed for DC with Ms. Cunningham and Mr. Concannon. Although we may or may not have gotten lost/stuck on the metro, we were ready to start our day for lunch at the hotel. Our chaperones went to a separate group and spent the remainder of the trip with other teachers, not with us. As for the students, we were split into 4 workshop groups, with all five of us staying together. My group consisted of five states- Massachusetts, New Jersey, Indiana, Connecticut, and Texas. We had an awesome leader (Junee) and we were quickly ushered onto a bus and adventured into DC. Each day was filled to the brim with debates, monuments, and speakers; we were ready to pass out at room check which was at 11. The trip was even better because we got to be in DC while the impeachment trial was happening! We were literally a few hundred feet from the door of the senate building where the trial was occurring! The last day was my personal favorite, “Capitol Hill Day” where you get to meet with your state senators, or members of staff from your state senators, and get to know what their office is like and know what happens “behind the scenes”. We met with three of Elizabeth Warren’s staff members and each of us put pins into her MA bulletin board in our respective towns, and we all put one in Hingham. We also met with two of Ed Markey’s staff members. We just missed Senator Markey by a few minutes as he was heading off into the senate trial from 1 pm to 10 pm. Each staff member told us about the committees they’re on and what the senators’ certain political views are on questions we asked them. Overall, the trip was amazing and packed with all sorts of history with past and modern politics. I recommend everyone to go!