Thursday, June 23, 2011

WOW .. What a week .. Stay Tuned for More Pics and a Wrap UpWOW .. What a week .. Stay Tuned for More Pics and a Wrap Up. Check Out Today's


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

At the Holocaust Museum

After the Holocaust, the kids were asked to reflect upon several questions:

  1. zWhich exhibit “spoke” most deeply to you?

Probably the cattle car. I think it was the shock of realizing I was in the same place that so many had suffered – even died.  It was a very emotional experience.
-Parker

The exhibit that told me that children were not exempt from the living hell.
-no name given

The shoes cause it was hard to think that they all belonged to someone.
- no name given

The exhibit Daniel’s Story “spoke” the deepest to me because it had a lot of connections with my everyday life. Also, I liked how his dieary was spread out through the exhibit.
-no name given

  1. Which exhibit helped you to connect most closely with an individual or individuals?

The Hall of Remembrance. I lit a candle for my person who died at Aushwitz.
-no name given

There was a picture slideshow that showed some of the dead.  This one woman’s face as she lie dead hit me like a ton of bricks.
-Zoe

Daniel’s Story because that could have easily been my family and I.
-Emmaleigh

  1. How has your visit to the Holocaust Museum impacted you?

What I learned is this:  Don’t take life for granted because you never know when it’s gonna end.
-Alana

Life isn’t fair.
-no name given

I finally realized how America did nothing to help the matter which could have changed everything.
-Rachel

Tuesday, June 21, 2011


It's the soldier, not the
reporter, who gives us
freedom of the press.

It’s the soldier, not the poet, who gives freedom of speech.
It’s the soldier, not the
campus organizer who allows us to demonstrate.

It’s the soldier, who salutes the flag, serves the flag, and whose cof- fin 
is draped with the flag that allows the pro- testers to burn the flag.

If not for the soldier, there would be no land of the free.
Author Unknown

Marybeth reads comments from the Pentagon Dedication ..

Remembered and honored are fellow workers, friends, and family members. They were men and women at their desks in the Pentagon, who one morning kissed their loved ones goodbye, went off to work and never came home. And they were the passengers and the crew aboard Flight 77, who in their last moments made phone calls to loved ones, and prayed to the Almighty, before their journey ended such a short distance from where it began.


Freedom of Speech

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.


Day Four .. We Have Defined Ourselves ..

We are becoming a well oiled machine. We move with grace, we don't complain and every morning it's a " a new dawn". Yesterday we learned a lot about ourselves. We connected our thoughts and feelings at the Marine Corp Memorial and cried as we reflected on the symbolic benches at the Pentagon Memorial. We laugh a lot, sing, talk, forget stuff, find stuff, make new friends, ask questions, soak up everything at every corner ... And we are polite.

Check back during the day for more pics and posts.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Signers Hall

BJHS Freedom Tour mingles with the Signers of the Constitution.


Philadelphia Buggy Rides


Philadelphia Freedom


Happy Fathers Day ..

All Packed Up and Ready to Go


A Few More Comments ..

New York is so amazing, and very scenic. It is really cool, especially the street vending, and the people are very nice. The Apollo Theater was so cool and so was Times Square and also Central Park. This is a great time, codeword: Light  - Laurentz Locke
 
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a city this big. It’s really amazing with all the lights at night and all the billboards that you don’t see in Maine. It was also pretty amazing to see the set of Men in Black 3 in Battery Park. Too bad we didn’t get to see Will Smith! We are all going to Philly.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Ellis Island and Apollo Theater


A Few Comments ..

2011 Little Italy
Today we had a choice of going to Little Italy or Chinatown. My group and a few others chose to go to Little Italy. We went to a restraint called Puglia. While we were in there, a musician type guy was playing songs on the piano, and we all were singing along. During the singing he sang a song about singing along and waving your napkins in the air. As we were singing, we all stood up on the chairs.. Laurentz and I had a canolli eating competition. Laurentz won… -Tyler Hillis

2011 Apollo Theater
Today we had the great opportunity to go to the Apollo Theater. The Apollo theater was
thought to be a “black” theater, but really it was burlesque house. The mayor at the time
was completely against burlesque houses and then later the Apollo theater was shut
down. It was nearly two years until the theater was re-bought and turned into a normal performance theater. Today at the theater we had this great chance to perform on the actual stage! There was about ten students who volunteered and were chosen to sing, rap, dance or even tell jokes. I personally think our guide, the only guide in the entire theater, was the best act. He was hilarious. When we went to Little Italy Rachel Guindon was the best bargainer. She got a salesman to lower the price on a 3 NY tee-shirts from $12 to $5. Overall today was a pretty amazing day…. Especially when we got to see where they were shooting Men in Black III.
-EmaLeigh Aschbrenner

New York is so amazing, and very scenic. It is really cool, especially the street vending, and the people are very nice. The Apollo Theater was so cool and so was Times Square and also Central Park . This is a great time, codeword: Light  - Laurentz Locke

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a city this big. It’s really amazing with all the lights at night and all the billboards that you don’t see in Maine . It was also pretty amazing to see the set of Men in Black 3 in Battery Park. Too bad we didn’t get to see Will Smith! We are all going to Philly tomorrow.  – Ana Franklin

On the Road Again

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway .. Willie Nelson


On Broadway

They say the neon lights are bright on broadway They say there's always magic in the air But when you're walkin' down that street And you ain't had enough to eat The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere .. George Benson


Friday, June 17, 2011

Memorial - Ground Zero

Day One ...

June 17, 2011 Bus Ride

So far the scenery is pretty boring, just trees and roads. We all have our iPods out, but we only have one earbud in and we are all talking to each other about what we are most excited to see. For me, it’s the Apollo Theater. For other people around me, it’s Katz’s Deli, Ground Zero, and Central Park.

June 17, 2011 New York City

After attempting to learn sign language, drawing on our fingers, and imitating James Bond, we reached New York City. It wasn’t like I expected at first. I thought we would reach a sign that said “Welcome To New York City” and BAM. Skyscrapers would be shooting from the ground like mushrooms. But after the sign, there were only a few buildings covered in graffiti. Mr. Youdsnukis started to use the microphone on the bus to tell us fun facts about the city, like how there are 8.2 million people in the city, and Central Park is 850 acres big. Once we got into the heart of the city, the architecture really changed. It seemed bigger and newer. We got off the buses  at Battery Park, and walked to Ground Zero, then to Chelsea Pier, then back to bus where we went to Katz’s Deli for dinner. It was really cool to order our food that way, yelling at the cook what we wanted. I personally enjoyed seeing all the pictures, my favorites were Meg Ryan, Ben Stiller, and Johnny Depp. We went to the hotel after that, and passed out on our beds. Tomorrow we’re going to spend another day in the city! … Corrinne

Lunch ..


8:am Day One

Rolling down 295 out of Portland, Maine Still high from the people up there and feeling no pain Gonna make it to New Jersey, gonna set it up and do it again .. Jackson Browne


Good to Go!


Saturday, May 14, 2011

June 17 - 23

Travel with 75 of your friends and neighbors from Brunswick, Maine on the YMCA Freedom Tour.