This Week in Education Senior Trip

"But I want to go too."

Disney gives every grad a momento when entering.

If you read my blog you know that I am blessed with twins. A girl and a boy gave my wife and I an instant family. It has been an incredible journey.  We took them to Disneyland the first time when they were eighteen months. Anyone one would tell you they are Disneyland professionals. We did all things to acquaint them with Disneyland and its characters. We went to the theater to see all the new releases. They were loyal watchers of the Disney Channel. It isn't like I didn't enjoy any of that. Now for the first time it's happening, they are going without us. It is their trip to Disney's Grad Night. But this is not a trip to Grad Night only. They also go to Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountain.    At Disneyland they get a Grad Night showing of Fantasmic. And the park stays open until 3:00 AM. However thats not late for two kids who just spent 24 hours at the One More Disney Celebration on Leap Day this year. If you haven't read the blogs for these yet check out posts on March 3rd, 5th and 11th . This will be a fun time for them. Neither my wife nor I got to go on this kind of trip. We both had jobs that we couldn't just up and take time off. I know while I mowed those rich kids lawns I was so jealous. Sweating in the hot sun while they got to do anything they wanted.  So I wanted to make sure my kids got to have things better.
This senior trip takes them from their school to Disneyland. They receive a park hopper ticket that allows them into both Disneyland and California Adventure. As I understand it this will be the first and only time this is supposed to happen. 

Wrist bands for safety.

"She's got a ticket to ride."

Disneyland is a controlled environment.  This is one of the benefits of this prepackaged trip.  We found this type of trip was excellent when they were in eighth grade on the Washington D.C. and New York trip.  Check the blog posts of the Time Machine Travelogue for information on that field trip.  As a dad I was, of course, missing them.  Thanks to cell phones it is easier to keep in touch.  My son is not the best texting messenger when it comes to my inquiries.  Now, we have driven this road once or twice a year for over ten years.  I thought he might have paid attention.  While he is traveling on the bus I texted. "Where are you?"  


He texted back, "On the road."  


After they arrived, I texted my son and asked, "What ride are you waiting for?"  


To this I got the best response of the trip, "The ride your daughter learned to drive on."  This made me laugh out loud.  He was going on Autotopia.  It fit with my theory that 90% of the people in California learned to drive on the Autotopia.  So, they were given a wrist band that identified them for staying in the park after it closed to the general public and they also got to attend a special performance of Fantasmic.  

 A new service that Disneyland offers is a photography card.  All photos taken are placed online and the card is used for identifying those pictures.  

Picture this

Also everyday and especially special occasions you want to ask for the events of the day.  If you notice anyone sweeping up or even ride operators, they have a pouch on their belt that has the event cards.  Just ask them for one they are happy to give you one.

Disco ball Mickey

When we were there for the One More Disney Day on Leap Day, my daughter saw the Grad Night Mickey Ears mortar board graduation hat.  The clerk at the hat shop told her that it would be best to buy the hat and have it monogrammed then because on Grad Night they sometimes sell out.  So she did and it was a good thing because the wait would have taken away from rides and fun time.  My son won this cute little penguin at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Mr. Penguini has agreed to model the Mickey Ear hat.  So they partied with their friends a until 3:00 AM.  They went to back to the hotel and started off early the next morning for Universal Studios.

Waddles when he walks for graduation

Universal Studios has several rides based on their movies.  I looked at my copy of the itinerary and I figured where they were so I texted my daughter, "How is Universal Studios?"  

Ride the movies Optimus Prime.

She texted back that she and two other girls, "We just went to the House of Horrors."


I texted back, "Was it scary?"


She answered, "omg yes!!!!"  I thought it might be like a wax museum, but it was like a Halloween fright house with Chuckie and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  


They have just added the newest ride based on the movie Transformers.  Both my twins said it was a cool 3-D ride. Mr Penguini show us the flyer.

What could a Decepticon do to you

Later that evening they went to the Medieval Times for dinner.  This is a dinner theater based on the era of Chivalry.  It has all the trappings of the period.  Jousting and sword fighting is part of the display.  Dinner includes Dragon Blood Soup, tomato bisque; Roast Dragon, roasted chicken, and other colorfully named foods.  The girls were given Damsel Headbands and Veils to complete the princess ensemble.  The boys were given princely crowns.  Mr. Pinguini report to the runway please. 

Hit that runway Penguini.

A real fashion horse, uh, I mean penguin.

After they ate and finished at Medieval Times, it was back to the hotel.  The next morning they were off for one more Southern California theme park, Six Flags Magic Mountain.  Are you tired yet?  Well, high school seniors have a ton of energy and they were ready for the long lines of some of the most intense roller coasters in America.  This was the previous home of Mr. Penguini before my son obtained his service contract in a game of chance, shooting hoops.  

Working for a new agent, my son.

The end of the school year is here.  That is great thing.  Everyone says, "You teachers got it easy.  You don't have to work in the summer."  First that is not our fault, we don't make the calendar.  Also we don't get paid for two months.  We have to be industrious like ants and save, and not frivolous like grasshoppers.  I will still have This Week in Education in the summer to show you how we live in that time off.  

This Week in Education College Final Decision

Start an Office Pool

You know how it works.  Everybody throws a dollar into a pool and takes their best guess as to an outcome.  We all have run across pools for various reasons.  Sporting events and even births of babies have been placed in pools.  Make your guess and if it's correct you take all the cash in the pool.  Our pool will be what college did my daughter chose.  Where will she end up.  Will it be a university far away or close to home.  So chuck a buck in the hat and take your chance at winning it all.  In previous posts, I told and showed you the schools that we took one of our college road trips to.  Do you remember the Socal, Southern California, college swing?  Check out the April 11th blog, This Week in Education College Road Trips.  We visited the University of Southern California, San Diego State, University California Los Angeles, and University California Riverside which she had guaranteed acceptance to because she was in the top nine percent of California high school students.

Building at USC

Strolling at UCLA

A place to study at San Diego State

All of these are beautiful campuses that offer a rich college environment.  They each have or have had excellent sports teams to give students college spirit.  They have quality academic programs with famous alumni.  Could it be one of these prestigious schools, or one of the Norcal, Northern California, schools?  

These school are closer to where we currently live.  These universities were featured in my April 21st blog.  Since we were much closer, we were able to visit more of these schools.  For those of you wishing to play the game and enter our imaginary pool these are the possible choices for Northern California:  San Jose State, San Fransisco State, University California Santa Cruz, University California Davis, and Stanford.  

San Jose State, they all seem to have towers

A beautiful day at San Fransisco State

Pacific Ocean and tall Redwoods of UC Santa Cruz

A campus that made bicycles popular UC Davis

Hoover Tower and a father's dream 

So there they are the universities that we traveled to in order to give our daughter a clear choice for her future.  We stayed a total eight days at three Embassy Suites Hotel.  We traveled nearly two thirds the length of the state of California easily over 1200 miles.  So what are your picks?  Before you go all in, I'll let you know that she was not accepted at USC and Stanford.  I'll never forget seeing the look on her face when the she received that business sized envelope from USC.  She knew that that was not the same large envelope that contained the necessary forms for acceptance and enrollment.  Stanford emailed her that she was not accepted.  I was ready to box up the Cardinal Red Stanford hoodie that she wore proudly and send it back to them with a letter telling them of the intelligent hard working young lady the were passing up.

The final choice is, drum roll, University California Santa Barbara.  

Did that come from left field or what.  Good thing this is not an actual pool.  How did she come to this decision?  Two years ago, my wife was an advisor for a program for elementary school students who are interested in science, math, and engineering.  It is called MESA, Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement.  Competitions are held at the local area and winners from these contests are then able to go to the state finals.  As an advisor, my wife got to take her mentees to those finals held at University California Santa Barbara.  She was allowed to take our twins, who were sophomores in high school, with her to the MESA Event.  They all came home talking glowingly about the UCSB campus.  They loved the weather, and the fact that is was located at the beach on the Pacific Ocean.

Sunshine and fine weather

Michael Douglas walked this path

Coral trees are in bloom

She made your dream, Nonna

UCSB Library

Peaceful lagoon

Student Union seating with a view

"Ring dem bells" for Marge

 After all the time, expense, and distance traveled, she chose University California Santa Barbara.  Maybe seeing all the other campuses only solidified her decision to attend UCSB.  As a father it is a little difficult to drive to and has limited air service.  This may be why it was chosen, because it gives her independence.  I am extremely proud of both children.  I am proud of my daughter.  She did all the hard work to get there.  I also know that her Grandmother Marge and her Nonna would have also been pleased and proud.  May they watch over her always.

Time Machine Travelogue Ten

This One May Make You Cry

Many have sacrificed for our freedom

The time machine started as just a small singularity.  The problem was increasing the size of the worm hole large enough to send something back in time.  As a first step you need to send a small mechanical device back in time.  Then it, it hates it when I call it it, sends singularity back at the speed of light to home.  Because of Einstein's Time Dilation the front of the worm hole is only a few seconds however the original point time is different.  This allows me to then go back in time to the point in time at the given coordinates.  So returning to Washington D. C. only meant leaving the robot behind.  So we are going visit some of the most moving sites in our nations history.  So grab a handkerchief or some tissue, you may cry.  I know I will.  Here comes our opening, and away we fly.

There are many memorials in Washington D.C.  No trip could be complete unless you visit these.  We got to see many of these sites and memorials.  As a child of the Sixties, seeing the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial was especially emotional and moving.  No matter what you thought about the war whether you were for it or against it, you need to see that black gash ripping through the landscape.  It tore our country apart.  Unlike today the war touched nearly every family.  Males 18 years old and older were subjected to the Draft.  The Draft impacted poor families, Black families, and Hispanic families the most.  Some men and 18 year olds escaped through deferments.  For a while college students got deferments.  Friends and families were interrupted by the War. We all had friends who were drafted or enlisted to allow them to choose there service.  We all read in the papers or  heard from friends that someone we knew, "Gave the last full measure of devotion."  The architect May Lin's design helped honor the Viet Nam Veterans and heal a nations wounds with her design.  There are ghosts in the wall.  As you step toward it, the reflection is like your loved one moving toward you.  It lists the names of those 58,000 plus Americans who lost their lives.  It starts out small and grows.  Many people make crayon rubbings of the names of their hero.  Also people leave articles behind which archived.  Medals, Service Ribbons, and even old and worn jungle boots.  Tears are also left behind but they evaporate and rejoin the Earth's water cycle.  You will be touched again just step outside when it rains and snows.

Baby Boomers faced Hell

It should have stopped before we reached 58,000 +

Ghost in the Wall

How many friends did you lose?

They were decorated even in death as the living
pass their medals on to those who are never coming home.

 The eighth grade students are not the most sensitive to the gravity of the deaths of people who died in war.  But they have because of history class the knowledge our Sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln. They were refurbishing the Fords Theater  the site of the April 15, 1865 assassination of the President.  We did get to go to the house across the street were he was taken and survived his last time on Earth. This made a connection with our textbooks and reality of the actual events of history of our country.  Mix that with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial and you understand his importance.  The Memorial is huge as you walk up the steps seeing Abraham Lincoln seated there with some of his most famous quotes is inspirational.

President Lincoln was Assassinated here at the Ford's Theater

He was taken here for medical care.

Let us not forget that madmen cheat "We the People" out of our government. 
"A government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not 
perish from the Earth." A. Lincoln

This room saw the death of a President and a great man.

Many schools do field trips to the Lincoln Memorial

The greatness of mankind found in one man.

By the time you get to eighth grade, you should know that Abraham Lincoln was the President who preserved to Union. There was an attempt to divide the United States by some states in the South seceding to form their country, the Confederate States of America. Because of this action a Civil War broke out between the two different factions.   In order to preserve the Union, Abraham Lincoln called up the Union Army. The South who started the war picked as their leader of their forces a legendary general, Robert E. Lee. The Lee family had an estate across the Potomac River from Washington D.C.  The land surrounding this estate became Arlington National Cemetery. Many of our hero and soldiers are buried or interned here. You know you are on Holy Ground when you see the rows of grave markers.  Also there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

They fought for you and me.

The former Lee estate

I hope they found peace.

How can you not be moved?

We children of the Sixties suffered through other tragedies. We had to endure the killing of our dreams. The first was when I was a freshmen in high school.  It was a nice day on November 22, 1963. Then during the early morning passing period, we got the news.  Our President John F, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. It was the first punch of the combination that sent us reeling.   It was profoundly sad. Later he was buried at Arlington national Cemetery. They placed an Eternal Flame on the grave site to memorialize the first President born in the Twentieth Century. Later his wife   Jacquelyn was also buried at the sight.  That definitely was a gut punch.

Jackie Kennedy inspired American women as First Lady.

I still remember that awful day.

A memory recalled in the fleeting dance of the Eternal Flame.

The second was the assassination of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King.  I was in Seattle for spring break when it occurred.  They had a huge march to commemorate his life and achievements. Sometime had passed and the suddenness still hit us hard.  There were riots in many cities and if it wasn't  for this man and his remarks on the assassination Indianapolis might have erupted also.  The man was Robert F. Kennedy. However, on June 5, 1968 a devastating knock out punch destroyed our dreams. Robert F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin. I had met him. I heard him speak and saw him sweep his hair off his forehead. I got to shake his hand and look him in the eye. I was a college student and I was writing a term paper on the psychological effect of the draft. I got to ask him his stance on the Draft and got a quote from him on "the inequities of the present draft system and the hypocrisy of student deferments."  On that June night I stayed up to watch his victory speech for his win in the California Primary. It was a moment of joy. Then our dreams were literally shot down by a single zealot with a gun. Robert too is interned at Arlington in a site near his brother.

Robert Francis Kennedy's Memorial

A man who gave America's youth hope.

Reflect on the United States living up to its Credo.

You cannot go to Arlington Cemetery without going to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These souls fought and died for our freedom and because of circumstance we were unable to identify them.

Known only to God

Just outside of Arlington is the Marine Corp Memorial. We all have seen the iconic picture of the Marines raising the American Flag on Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the Island of Iwo Jima during World War II.  The picture is recognized by every older American and most younger Americans.  At the Marine Corp Memorial, they have erected a statue of Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize for Photography picture.  Walking toward the statue you recognize the scene as you would a picture.  Then, your brain realizes that it three dimensional.  As you walk around, you are moved by the honor and victory of the moment and the men.  It is symbol of the Marine Corp, the Greatest Generation, and every American who served and waited for Victory.  I felt small and I felt great walking around the Statue.  Small because I have never reached their level of determination and sacrifice and great to know that I am an American and a descendant of a service member.

The mystic of the Greatest Generation.

Twenty-seven American military men received the Medal of Honor
in the Battle of Iwo Jima.  Twenty-two were Marines.

Every US Marine knows and does his duty with honor.

Semper Fi

Well, the box of tissue is gone so I am heading back home.  It seems like times have changed but there are still young service personnel in harms way.  Politics are still dividing our country.  However, when you see these memorials you realize that we all share so much.  We cannot change the past but we can change the future.  
The robot has dragged the singularity and is holding it open for our return.  See you next time.  Who knows where we will go next time.