Increasing Access to Educational Student Travel to Empower Future Generations Son Tours’ Partnership with Classroom2Capitol
At Son Tours, we have seen the countless benefits that educational travel can provide students. Students not only gain a deeper knowledge and connection to their curriculum when they have the opportunity to experience learning outside of the classroom, but we have seen them have improved academic engagement, personal development, more perspective and strengthened friendships. The impact is long lasting and we believe every student should have the opportunity to participate in a student travel tour. That is why we are honored to work with organizations like Classroom2Capitol who are committed to extending the opportunity of educational travel to students who may not be able to participate in student travel due to monetary reasons.
Classroom2Capitol is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to provide students in underserved communities with fully funded educational explorations to Washington, D.C., while motivating participants toward a life of civic engagement and public service. The organization’s founder and executive director, Chris Stanley, is a former history teacher, professional educational tour guide in Washington D.C., and political candidate who attributes his passion for American history and civics to his childhood trips to our nation’s capital. The immersive experience of visiting Washington D.C. as a student allowed him to learn important lessons of liberty and encouraged him to make sure those lessons continue to be passed down to future generations. Chris sought out to combine his love for education and civil service by making educational trips to Washington D.C. more accessible to students – and Classroom2Capitol was born. Classroom2Capitol’s mission is to prepare students to be knowledgeable members of civic society by providing them with the impactful opportunity to visit D.C. no matter what their financial situation is.
The organization’s first trip to Washington D.C. was in May 2022 with the students of Youngstown City School District in northeastern Ohio. Chris says, “the trip would still just be a good idea if it wasn’t for John Nelson at Son Tours.” Through gracious funding and meticulous planning, 90 students chaperoned by 14 adults were able to go on a three-day trip to Washington D.C., fully funded by Classroom2Capitol. Son Tours helped Chris put together the itinerary based upon what he thought the students would be most interested in seeing and experiencing. Many of the students were interested in the military or have family in the military, so Son Tours curated a custom itinerary that included:
- The National Mall
- Washington Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Iwo Jima Memorial
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
- African American History and Culture Museum
- Vietnam Memorial
- Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Arlington National Cemetery
The trip was also covered by The Vindicator, a local Ohio newspaper, in an article that highlights the impact that visiting our nation’s memorials had on the students. The article recalls one of the most breathtaking moments of the trip, when the students were visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. One of the student’s had the opportunity to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and reflect on the countless number of men and women who have laid their lives down to serve our country.
Chris Stanley is hopeful that after this impactful and educational trip, the students will be inspired to pursue a career in public service and will look back on their trip with Classroom2Capitol as the reason.
At Son Tours, we believe every child can succeed when given the right resources. That is why we are so honored to work with Classroom2Capitol and to help them plan future trips to Washington D.C. with students from underserved communities in rural and inner-city districts all over the United States.
To learn more about Classroom2Captiol and how to help more children have the opportunity to go on a fully funded trip to our nation’s capitol in order to gain access to learning more about the importance and value of civic engagement, check out their website here: https://classroom2capitol.org/donate