LOS ANGELES — The eighth-grade students of TCA Arshag Dickranian School had a unique Easter Vacation this year, visiting New York City, Washington, DC and Philadelphia.
The six-day trip was organized by Maro Travel Teck and took place April 16 through 22. The students were escorted by their homeroom teacher, Alvard Uzunyan, along with Principal Vartkes Kourouyan, his wife, Alice, and some 30 parents.
As a part of the educational curriculum, this is the second year that the school organizes the trip for its eighth graders during the Easter Vacation to give them the opportunity to observe these locations, so they can visually learn about the historical and significant sites of the nation.
The first day of the trip was spent in New York City, where students explored various historical and renowned places, including the Empire State Building, the United Nations Headquarters, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Plaza Hotel and Fifth Avenue. The second day, being Palm Sunday, the students first visited St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral to light candles and offer prayers. The group then visited the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero, where they paid their respects to the lives lost on that ignoble September 11, 2001.
On the third day of the trip, the group boarded their bus heading towards Philadelphia. While there, they visited the historic Old Capitol Building, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
The fourth day was spent in Washington, touring the significant sites of the Nation’s Capital, such as the White House, Capitol Hill, The Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The fifth and sixth days of the trip started with a stop at the Arlington National Cemetery, President John F. Kennedy’s tomb, followed by the Smithsonian and Air Space Museums. A highlight on the fifth day was visiting the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia.
