Arlington, Va. – On September 20th, a group of 50 students and staff from High Point High School in Prince George’s County took a field trip to the Pentagon to visit the 9/11 Memorial. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, in which a plane crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people.
CTE staff, teachers, and students all joined the field trip to pay respects to those who passed away on 9/11. The students involved included Homeland Security Students and AFJROTC cadets, primarily students who are studying to pursue careers in the Government or Military.
The Baynet received exclusive pictures from the field trip organizers in Prince George’s County. One of the organizers of the trip, Ishmael Mitchell, said in the recent CTE Newsletter sent to The Baynet, “The testimonials of the tour guides and the students’ matching the pictures of victims with their names and birth dates together made the experience more real for the students and their teachers.”
School systems across the nation teach their children about 9/11 and how it threatened US security, but rarely do students get to visit one of the sites that was attacked in 2001. Allowing students to see the memorial for themselves creates a powerful impact on students, like those from High Point High School.
Homeland Security programs in Prince George’s County are creating unique field trip opportunities for students who wish to pursue careers in the US Government. We contacted Ishmael Mitchell to learn more about why he and other organizers believe that field trips are essential for students in public education.
Mitchell responded, “We believe that trips like this are both essential and important to not only the academic but personal development of our students. We want them to have personal and real-life academic experiences that soundly situate them in real-life circumstances and situations where they are able to engage with and inhale the real-life experiences of events like 9/11.”
Prince George’s County Public Schools have some of the most comprehensive educational programs for Homeland Security and JROTC in Maryland. Both programs include regularly scheduled field trips and events that allow students to engage in activities surrounding their field of interest.
AFJROTC is an exciting program for teenagers who wish to pursue a future in the Air Force. Prince George’s County students are offered the opportunity to explore this program and take part in activities that will prepare them for a career in serving the United States.
The official objective on the AFJROTC webpage states, “The objectives of AFJROTC are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship; promote community service; instill responsibility, fitness, character, leadership, and self-discipline; and provide instruction in the fundamentals of air and space science.”
The Pentagon Visitor’s webpage shares information about what you’ll experience on a Pentagon tour. The Washington DC website states, “The Pentagon Memorial has an emotive power that few other memorials have, due to both the recency of the tragedy it pays homage to and its comprehensive listing of victims.”
Schools in Maryland can schedule a field trip to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Educators seeking to organize a field trip should follow this link to find more information.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
