Students describe an action packed day starting with a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and ending with an evening of bowling.
On Sunday morning, after a walk along sunny D.C., we arrived at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The seven-story building (several of its floors deep underground) featured African and African American history from the 1400’s, and it described developments as slavery became prominent in the United States. Through historical artifacts, artistic displays, and moving texts, the museum reflected the fight still fought today to promote and preserve democracy and racial equality across the nation.
-Amadeo ’25
After visiting the museum, we walked to Old Ebbitt Grill, the oldest grill establishment in DC, for brunch. During brunch we met with a former Deerfield student Meredith McGraw from Politico. She gave a brief talk of her journey in journalism since her graduation from DA in 2008, and she offered helpful advice to current students. After Meredith McGraw departed, we talked at length with recent Deerfield alums, currently enrolled in George Washington University and Georgetown, who also offered some DA knowledge and tips for preparing for college to the rest of the students.
-Amay ’27
In the evening we took the train to the Lincoln Memorial, where Mr. Hamilton gave an inspiring speech about the significance of the site. We talked about the impact that Marian Anderson and MLK’s performances and speeches had and why it was important for them to be at the memorial. We spend time reading the two speeches on the inside of the memorial–Lincoln’s second inaugural address and the Gettysburg Address–and talked about some of the symbolism surrounding Lincoln’s position in the chair.
–Addie ’26
After departing from the Lincoln Memorial, we took a 30-minute walk to Pinstripes (for which I was the Directions Director!), where we would have our dinner and bowl. We passed by the Watergate Complex where Mr. Hamilton gave us a little history lesson on the Watergate scandal. As we walked farther from the Mall, the architecture grew from overbearing Greek columns to more of the America I know, with a mix between modern glass-decorated geometry and Old Boston brick apartments. We crossed several bridges, overlooking wasted canals and the Potomac River, which glistened with the darkness of the night sky. One perk was that there were no more traffic lights, so we were technically not jaywalking when we crossed the streets in haste. (Of course, not saying that we would jaywalk with traffic lights anyway!) Dinner was fun. Nice salad and mini burgers! Bowling started up not as fun as I rolled two clean 0’s… However, once I got the hang of it, I started getting 9’s. Ultimately, I finished fourth place behind our champion Josh, who considered going to Ivy League for getting strikes every time, Dr. Friends, who alongside Mr. Hamilton dominated the alley, and Jeremy, who, although it was his first time bowling, quickly became a grandmaster, landing two strikes! After making our way back. I plunged into my bed after a long and fulfilling day.
-Eric ’24
