Briarwood freshmen on a tour to Washington, D.C., had their picture made in front of the White House. Left to right are Ryan Pritchett, John Bounds, Brandy Ray, I.V. Bradford, Russell Burdette, and Will Souther. Six Briarwood Academy students with Wilkes County connections were among a group of freshmen to tour Washington, D.C., and Gettysburg August 13-17.

The students were Ryan Pritchett, John Bounds, Brandy Ray, I.V. Bradford, Russell Burdette, and Will Souther. Chaperones from Washington who accompanied the group were Cindy Bounds, Teresa Burdette, and Julie Lewis.

Led by Headmaster John Hammond, the group began the tour visiting Arlington Cemetery and observing the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. After dinner at Old Union Station, they visited the shrine of Immaculate Conception where they admired the beautiful architecture and ornamentation.

After beginning the second day touring Mount Vernon, the group took walking tours of Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court Building, and the Library of Congress. Following lunch they visited the United States Botanic Garden and enjoyed a guided tour of the Capitol Building.

They enjoyed the displays and took photos at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. They resumed their walking tour on to the Peterson House where Abraham Lincoln died and were able to buy souvenirs from the Hard Rock Cafe. After dinner they visited the Lincoln, Korean, Vietnam, and Einstein memorials, and Constitution Garden.

The third day began with visits to the Roosevelt and World War II memorials. The students enjoyed a visit to the new International Spy Museum where they learned about the history of espionage. The students then traveled on by bus to the Gettysburg Battlefield where they walked through the area and viewed battle sites from an observation tower.

The third day, the bus carried the group to Federal Triangle. They took a walking tour where they viewed L'Enfant Plaza, the Benjamin Franklin, World War I, and Sherman memorials. They continued on to the South Front of the White House, Zero Milestone, and the Washington Monument. Leaving that area, they arrived at the American History Museum where they wee able to take photos of the 45-carat Hope Diamond. They also enjoyed the permanent exhibit, the Dinosaur Hall, which featured gigantic fossilized bones of the creatures that walked the earth as long as 210 million years ago.

Lunch at the historic Old Post Office concluded the morning's activities. Following lunch the group enjoyed elevator rides to the top of the Old Post Office building where they could look over Washington, D.C.'s, cityscape. They continued on a walking tour passing the FBI Building and went on to the National Archives where they were able to view the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

The group then walked on to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum where they saw the Wright 1903 Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, and numerous other air and space exhibits. They also enjoyed the IMAX film, "To Fly." Following dinner at Old Union Station, the group ended the day and concluded the tour with a visit to the Marine Memorial.