The presidential inauguration may occur every four years, but the most recent changing-of-the-presidents provided nine Elma students with the unique opportunity to travel to D.C. and witness the inauguration for themselves.

Traveling from our Washington to Washington, D.C., is no small trip. Making the trip were sixth-grader Lilly Bossard, seventh-graders Amanda Orellana Haylie Valdivia-John, eighth-graders Jordan Quinn-Weber, Ella Moore, Ryan Ward, and ninth-graders Grace Carossino, Jalyn Sackrider and Quin Mikel.

Heather Moore, mother of Ella Moore, noted that the trip did not come without extensive planning and advice-giving.

“Remember to use the buddy system at all times, be aware of your surroundings and keep track of your stuff,” Moore recalled saying to her daughter. Parental guidance aside, Moore was excited for her daughter to have the opportunity to attend the inauguration.

“I told her it was a once in a lifetime event that she will never forget. It was a chance for her to experience the bigger world outside of our small community and learn about our nation’s history,” Moore said.

And learn she did. “I learned that Teddy Roosevelt really loved his dog. I learned, on inauguration day, that when you need to you can walk ten miles to get to where you are going. I learned that more people than I could imagine died for us after I saw the Arlington Cemetery. At the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial we learned that they purposely did not finish it, stopping at his knees, because they believed MLK Jr. had more to say and his life was too short,” Moore, the younger, said.

Aside from all that she learned, Moore says that her favorite part of the trip was visiting the memorials.

“It made me think about our nation’s past and all the sacrifices people have made so we can be free,” Moore said.

With so much to learn in D.C., it is no shock that Lilly Bossard feels that five days were not enough to experience all that D.C. has to offer.

“I wasn’t ready to go home,” Lilly said.

“Sending her wasn’t about politics, it was about the history she would be seeing with her very own eyes and visiting places that she’s only read about or watched documentaries on,” Tonya Bossard, Lilly’s mother, said.

“I wanted to go for the overall experience the trip offered. It wasn’t just about the inauguration,” Lilly explained. The inauguration may have been the reason for the trip, but there were additional learning experiences along the way. The MLK Jr. Memorial, Mt. Vernon and witnessing the Women’s March on Washington D.C. all helped to make the trip worthwhile.

“I really wasn’t sure what to expect other than what was planned for us on our schedule, which was cool stuff,” Lilly said.

Heather Moore said she could see all the fun the students were having courtesy of pictures sent by her daughter.

“Their schedule was so packed it felt like they were having a new adventure every time I checked my phone!”

Of all their activities, Lilly found the inauguration to be her favorite part of the trip.

“I saw all the presidents,” Lilly said, “and I got to see and feel what it’s like during an inauguration. After all, they only happen every 4 years.”

It is uncertain when the next presidential inauguration will be, but it is certain that this most recent inauguration left a lasting and pleasant impression on those students who attended.

Both Ella and Lilly recommend the trip to others. “I’m trying to talk my parents in to letting me go again in four years,” Lilly said, “I think everyone should go.” Ella believes it’s especially a good idea for kids to make the trip to D.C.

“It’s good for kids to see how our nation started and how far we have come.”