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This quote is from a third grader describing a special field trip the first through sixth graders at Pinecrest School took yesterday to see The Air Force One Experience at National Harbor.
The Children’s Democracy Project has transformed a full-size Boeing 747 aircraft into an innovative educational experience – a partial recreation of the President’s plane, Air Force One. The Children’s Democracy Project’s mission is to educate the next generation of American citizens about the importance of democracy, civic responsibility, and the right to vote.
Students at our Fairfax County private school loved the experience – and learned a few things too:
- 3rd grader: “I think it’s the best plane I’ve ever seen. It literally protects the President.”
- 5th grader: “I was surprised by how much security it had.”
- 3rd grader: “I liked how Air Force One is bullet-proof, fire-proof and electrified. To me, it’s a flying fortress.”
- 4th grader: “I thought where the President works is really cool because of the cupholders. I don’t usually see cupholders on an airplane like that.”
- 2nd grader: “I liked finding out that the black box wasn’t really black.”
- 5th grader: “I liked how the kids could touch stuff.”
- 2nd grader: “I liked it a lot. I especially liked the President’s sleeping quarters. I’ve never seen beds on a plane before.”
- 5th grader: “We found out some cool facts like the plane is made from 6 million parts and it only stations at military bases.”
- 1st grader: “It was really awesome. The funnest thing was seeing the President’s office!”
In advance of the trip, our Northern Virginia private school students wrote essays about what they would do if they were President on Air Force One and where they would go. A fourth grader’s essay follows:
Air Force One
If I were president I would be in the conference room all the time. I would be thinking of all kinds of new laws like there should be a bigger fine for littering, small prices for less fortunate people, and to make more hunting illegal. I would also try to donate to all kinds of shelters with a high budget.
I would go to Antarctica and see the ice glaciers before they hopefully don’t go away and melt from global warming. I would also visit all of the states to make sure there are no problems in any of them.
My biggest responsibility would be that only good things are happening in America. Nothing that could change in a bad way in the future will happen. I will only mind America’s business.
Being president would be hard and pretty cool.
