Grade VI Trip to West Point
by Jameson C., Grade VI
St. Bernard’s boys are luckier than the majority of people in the world. We have caring families, a great education, and a safe school and home. Our good fortune reached new heights Wednesday, December 10, 2014, when we visited the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. We explored parts of West Point rarely seen by anyone other than military officers and West Point cadets.
After about 90 minutes on a bus full of excited boys and a handful of eye-rolling adults, we arrived at the academy and split into two groups. Each group toured the campus with Colonel Sobiesk, one of the main organizers of our visit. The highlights of the tour were seeing Trophy Point and going through the “Beat Navy” tunnel. We visited the sixth floor of the library, a sacred place off limits even to cadets, with Ms. Shoop. Ms. Shoop described the importance of the Hudson River to the Americans during the Revolutionary War. It was interesting, but not as fascinating as the details she gave us of cadet punishments. One common punishment was requiring cadets have to walk around a courtyard with heavy backpacks and a rifle for at least five hours.
We moved on to the Mess Hall but, surprisingly, did not eat. We sat in small groups with the cadets and listened to details about their lives at “The Point.” My group spoke with a senior, Cadet Kyle Vogt, and a classmate’s cousin, Cadet John A. Karber (class of 2017). We were so impressed with their courage and commitment to our country.
Just when the growling of our stomachs was reaching a distracting pitch, we were escorted to the best part of the day: the Army/Navy Spirit Lunch in honor of the looming football battle on Saturday, December 13. We ate a lot, cheered at the pep rally a lot, and listened to a lot of speeches from senior officials at West Point, including Army’s Head Football Coach, Jeff Monken, and its star fullback, Larry Dixon. A few lucky boys took selfies with Larry Dixon and met quarterback Angel Santiago.
We moved on to one of the academic buildings and split into four groups. Each group had a chance to observe demonstrations on hacking, lasers, and flying robots. One boy, who shall remain nameless, crashed the flying robot shortly after his frantically waving hand succeeded in getting him selected to test it out. Colonel Van Poppen gave the whole group a tour of Civil and Mechanical Engineering in Mahon Hall. We saw a huge 3-D printer that has made it on to more than one boy’s (and at least one teacher’s) Christmas wish list. We also witnessed a high-pressure water machine that could slice nearly perfect shapes into metal and other incredibly thick materials. We ended our day at, where else, the gift shop and supported West Point with purchases of footballs, water bottles, and a wide array of t-shirts.
December 10, 2014, is a day no boy in the sixth grade will ever forget. We will debate with the seventh and eighth grades about whose West Point trip was better for at least the rest of the year. We will bore our parents and siblings with details of robots, chains across the Hudson, and meeting possible future NFL Hall of Famers until they cannot take it anymore. However, mostly, I think we will remember the bravery, commitment, and dedication of each person we met at West Point to our country and its safety at all costs. Thank you to Professor Trope, Colonels Sobiesk and Van Poppen, Ms. Shoop, the cadets, Mr. Landesman, Mr. Moraitis, and all of the chaperones. This day would never have happened without you all, and it was “our best day ever.”
Photographs by Jameson C., Mimi H., and Janet L.
Back
St. Bernard’s boys are luckier than the majority of people in the world. We have caring families, a great education, and a safe school and home. Our good fortune reached new heights Wednesday, December 10, 2014, when we visited the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. We explored parts of West Point rarely seen by anyone other than military officers and West Point cadets.
After about 90 minutes on a bus full of excited boys and a handful of eye-rolling adults, we arrived at the academy and split into two groups. Each group toured the campus with Colonel Sobiesk, one of the main organizers of our visit. The highlights of the tour were seeing Trophy Point and going through the “Beat Navy” tunnel. We visited the sixth floor of the library, a sacred place off limits even to cadets, with Ms. Shoop. Ms. Shoop described the importance of the Hudson River to the Americans during the Revolutionary War. It was interesting, but not as fascinating as the details she gave us of cadet punishments. One common punishment was requiring cadets have to walk around a courtyard with heavy backpacks and a rifle for at least five hours.
We moved on to the Mess Hall but, surprisingly, did not eat. We sat in small groups with the cadets and listened to details about their lives at “The Point.” My group spoke with a senior, Cadet Kyle Vogt, and a classmate’s cousin, Cadet John A. Karber (class of 2017). We were so impressed with their courage and commitment to our country.
Just when the growling of our stomachs was reaching a distracting pitch, we were escorted to the best part of the day: the Army/Navy Spirit Lunch in honor of the looming football battle on Saturday, December 13. We ate a lot, cheered at the pep rally a lot, and listened to a lot of speeches from senior officials at West Point, including Army’s Head Football Coach, Jeff Monken, and its star fullback, Larry Dixon. A few lucky boys took selfies with Larry Dixon and met quarterback Angel Santiago.
We moved on to one of the academic buildings and split into four groups. Each group had a chance to observe demonstrations on hacking, lasers, and flying robots. One boy, who shall remain nameless, crashed the flying robot shortly after his frantically waving hand succeeded in getting him selected to test it out. Colonel Van Poppen gave the whole group a tour of Civil and Mechanical Engineering in Mahon Hall. We saw a huge 3-D printer that has made it on to more than one boy’s (and at least one teacher’s) Christmas wish list. We also witnessed a high-pressure water machine that could slice nearly perfect shapes into metal and other incredibly thick materials. We ended our day at, where else, the gift shop and supported West Point with purchases of footballs, water bottles, and a wide array of t-shirts.
December 10, 2014, is a day no boy in the sixth grade will ever forget. We will debate with the seventh and eighth grades about whose West Point trip was better for at least the rest of the year. We will bore our parents and siblings with details of robots, chains across the Hudson, and meeting possible future NFL Hall of Famers until they cannot take it anymore. However, mostly, I think we will remember the bravery, commitment, and dedication of each person we met at West Point to our country and its safety at all costs. Thank you to Professor Trope, Colonels Sobiesk and Van Poppen, Ms. Shoop, the cadets, Mr. Landesman, Mr. Moraitis, and all of the chaperones. This day would never have happened without you all, and it was “our best day ever.”
Photographs by Jameson C., Mimi H., and Janet L.
