Beyond the History Books: Gr8 in Washington, D.C.

This year, Gr8 students in the French Track spent five days in Washington, D.C. and came back with more than just memories. From Colonial Williamsburg to the Smithsonian museums, the Capitol building to the National Archives, the trip wove together history, culture, and civic life in a way no classroom could replicate.

For Louise and Lucie, two Gr8 students in the French Track, the experience sparked something unexpected: a genuine curiosity about how their country works. Standing inside the Capitol, seeing the rooms where major decisions are made, gave the abstract a physical reality. "It helped me get a view on political stuff too," says Louise. "It's better to understand what happens and get your own opinion just seeing the Capitol, I saw the rooms and stuff, and I understood where big decisions were taken."

At the National Archives, the girls came face to face with the Declaration of Independence and actually read it. "Every word on that piece of paper had so much thought put into it," Lucie recalls, "and it made me want to write better as a student, in English and in French too."

Beyond the monuments, the trip offered something equally valuable: the chance to connect with classmates and teachers outside of school. "It's a good way to bond with your peers without involving schoolwork," says Lucie. "We also discovered a new aspect of our teachers that we didn't know outside of school."

For Lucie, now a veteran of at least four Global Learning Trips outside of California, Washington, D.C. stands out as her favorite and she's already looking forward to what comes next. "I think the trip next year will be even better," she says. "I'm looking forward to the ones in the future."