Last month students from Goodrich Middle School participated in a class trip to Gettysburg, Pa. and Washington D.C. Every year for the past 17 years, the GMS eighth grade class has made the trek coordinated and supervised by teachers and class sponsors, Tena Czap and Dawn Robb.
Monuments and memorials visited included: the Smithsonian, Pentagon Memorial, WWII memorial, the Vietnam Wall; Korean, Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jefferson memorials, the White House, the Capitol, and Mt. Vernon.
While visiting Arlington Cemetery, students: Logan Durant, Erik Wyczalek, Emma McCallum, and Marissa Gawrych participated in a Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honorably representing Goodrich Middle School.
The Lipp family located and made a copy of their uncle’s name on the Vietnam Wall. Students learned about the many soldiers missing in action and those who gave their lives during the Vietnam conflict.
After the class returned from their trip, they were fortunate to also host a presentation by former Arlington Tomb Guard, Mike Sherry.
Sherry was the first Sentinel from Michigan to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and began his service at Arlington in 1958. He shared information about his service and answered many student questions about his experiences as a Sentinel stationed at Arlington.