Millis Meets Washington D.C.

On Thursday January 19th, a group of 30 high school students and 3 chaperones woke up early to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Washington D.C. When everybody arrived, the group wasted no time visiting the World War II memorial, the Holocaust Museum, and Arlington National Cemetery. It was great to learn about history outside of the classroom, but it wasn’t until January 20th that the group became a part of history.
The day of the inauguration, the group walked several miles to get to the Washington Monument. Busses couldn’t get close enough because of the intense security. When the group finally reached the viewing area, there a huge television was broadcasting the inauguration live. For ages this country has carried out a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. This does not happen everywhere. Our little group from Millis, having witnessed this transition, has developed a greater appreciation for this peaceful ceremony.
When signing up for the trip, nobody knew who the president was going to be. When asked about her views on the outcome of the election junior Emily Miga said, “I was really excited to see that Donald Trump was elected, but I signed up for the trip because I knew it would be an experience no matter who took office.”
Although many were happy to see their supported candidate take on the presidency, there were several people partaking in violent protests. Broken glass littered the streets from smashed windows of police cars. Smoke rose from the burning of the American Flag.
Several students who weren’t Trump supporters were horrified with the violent protests against him, “People who introduce violence are using the protests as an excuse for crime. They seem more interested in disrupting society rather than standing up for a cause,” said sophomore Maggie Stefanowicz. Many felt that these acts took away credibility from the cause.
The Inauguration was followed the next day by the Women’s March. A handful of students decided to join the movement. Those involved held signs, and got lost in the sea of pink hats which was estimated to be around one million strong.
Both girls and boys participated. Jacob Battaglino, a junior was one of the students who marched. When asked what the march meant to him he said, “It was about what people stand for, not against. It was about equality, and I think that is important”.
The Women’s March was a peaceful demonstration, in contrast to the chaos that ensued the day before. The march was an excellent example of our 1st amendment rights, as our history teacher Maryann Ziemba reminded us, “We as Americans can help protect each other’s fundamental rights as human beings while reminding the word what democracy truly looks like”.
A group of people with all different beliefs and views gathered together for the same reason, to witness what America stands for. We the youth are America’s future. It was important for us to see for ourselves the power of our government. Everyone in those three short days, witnessed the good, bad, and ugly of society. What we witnessed in those three days will never be forgotten. Ryan Locke, a junior stated, “We may not all agree politically but I feel that I got to grow closer to people and meet to new people.” This is what democracy looks like.