Mr. Eck and Mr. Cromley started the day with a 5:30 AM stop for coffee and Red Bull. Then they spent the next two hours zig zagging across central PA, picking up students in Millville, Sunbury, Selinsgrove, and Mount Pleasant Mills. After all five students were on-board, the group headed south. A breakfast stop outside of Harrisburg resulted in an impromptu "town house" in the parking lot of Hardee's.
The trip into the city was uninterrupted, with no traffic jams or difficulty in getting into the city. After parking three stories underground and climbing their way up the steps, the students emerged onto the center of the Independence Mall.
After picking up tickets for the Independence Hall tour, the class checked into the National Constitution Center. The first activity was a presentation titled “Freedom Rising”, a 17-minute multimedia theater experience with the story of the U.S. Constitution being related through a live actor. The theater-in-the-round incorporates 360° projection, surprise scenic elements, theatrical lighting, and a dynamic surround soundtrack.
Following the motivational presentation, students toured the museum, a round museum that encircles the theater. The museum is unique in that the focus of the exhibits are not artifacts, but people and ideas. The galleries outside wall displays the U.S. Constitution, wrapping nearly 2 city blocks around the exhibits. The text is angled above the visitors heads, so that, as they look up to read the Constitution, their faces are reflected in the glass; an important reminder that visitors are "we the people".
Another exhibit allowed participants to vote for the President in a simulated 2012 election. Students were asked to pick three topics that are at issue in the current election. Then they answered several questions related to those topics. Answers were compared to the current candidates and the students could see how their beliefs match with the candidates. Adam T. had the opportunity to be sworn in as President. Using a blue screen and several different cameras and monitors, Adam's inauguration was broadcast on a large screen, making it appear like he was on the steps of the Capitol with a Supreme Court Justice and a huge roaring crowd.
At "The American National Tree", visitors delve into the stories of over one-hundred people whose stories have helped continue the story of the Constitution. At replicas of the Supreme Court benches, students delved into three supreme court cases, listening to actual oral arguments. The entire class also played in a game show exhibit in which a museum staff member hosted a Presidential and Constitutional knowledge quiz. Initially it was planned that Mr. Cromley and Mr. Eck would attempt to take on the five students. But early in the game a question about the qualifications for President led to a showdown between the host and student Wesley D.. Wesley insisted that there is a residency requirement for the President. The staffer didn't believe that there was a reference in the Constitution about residency. Mr. Eck pulled the handy "pocket Constitution" out of his hip pocket and Wesley turned to section one of Article II. Wesley politely showed our host that candidates for President must be "fourteen years a resident within the United States". Our groups credibility was established.
Signers’ Hall is the final component of the permanent exhibit. The room is a stylized evocation of the Assembly Room where the signers of the original Constitution met, and a rare first public printing of that document is on display in a side alcove. Signers’ Hall is peopled with life-sized bronze statues of 42 men: the 39 delegates who signed as well as the three who refused.
Leaving the Constitution Center, the class toured the building where the Constitution was signed - Independence Hall. Following the tour, they went to visit the Liberty Bell. Before leaving, everyone agreed that it would be an incomplete visit if we didn't seek out true Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch. With the advice of Mr. Moore, a friend of Mr. Cromley and Mr. Eck, the pack headed into the city in search of Campos. The recommendation was worthy. Everyone enjoyed their food. The experience of navigating through the city was also an experience in it's own right. For many, this was a first visit to a large city.
On the trip home, after discussing the highlights of the day, Mr. Cromley ran a "mobile classroom". Students watched CNN Student news and held reading and social studies class on part of the return trip.
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