Eighth Graders Visit Washington, D.C.

Every spring since 2016, Harlem Academy eighth graders have taken a three-day leadership trip to Washington to meet with some of the country’s leaders, visit important monuments and museums, and enjoy the city. Over the years, many of our students were fortunate enough to meet late civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, who motivated and inspired them with his words and his legacy. 

This year, we met with Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma, and Senator Cory Booker, who shared insights about their lives and work and encouraged our students to embrace leadership. “Getting to meet government leaders lets you see that they are people, too,” says eighth grader Kadin. “It’s a way to erase the myths and insert facts instead.” 

Meeting Senator Booker was classmate Kyoncee’s favorite part of the trip. She recalls a memorable moment when she asked how he reacted when a bill he supported didn't pass. “I wanted to know how he bounced back,” she says. “He talked about trying to get a revote or the two-thirds needed for a veto. It was cool to hear him say that he doesn’t let disappointment disrupt his work.”

For the first time during the annual trip, students shared a special dinner with alumni attending colleges in D.C., including RayJon Grayson ’16 (American), Arielle Benjamin ’17 (Georgetown), and Kennedy Murray ’16 and Alvin Isaac ’16 (George Washington).

“They shared stories, lots of laughter, and talked about everything from the transition to high school to life in college to memories of Harlem Academy,” says alumni coordinator Hope Bell. “It was a wonderful way for them to nurture their shared bonds.” 

Our eighth graders agree. “Even though the alumni are now adults, we were all able to talk and genuinely enjoy each other,” says Kadin. “It was nice to have Harlem Academy as the common factor.”

It was a full circle moment for Kennedy Murray ’16. Eight years ago, she was one of the students visiting the nation’s capital. Now, she works as a confidential assistant to Deputy Secretary Verma. Kennedy led the eighth graders on an insider tour of the State Department and facilitated the meetings with the Deputy Secretary and Rep. Espaillat. “It was inspiring to have Kennedy lead the tour because she is someone from my community who became involved in politics,” says Kyoncee.

Students also visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture – with plenty of time built in for football and frisbee on the National Mall. 

“The trip gives our eighth graders an opportunity to see how the nation publicly celebrates parts of its past with iconic monuments, memorials, and museum exhibitions,” says William Beller, dean of faculty and middle school history teacher. “The highlight of the trip for me was hearing students ask thoughtful and critical questions related to the sights we were seeing.”