Written by Caroline Casey
Section Editor
The government shutdown that began on Oct. 1 impacted the American history classes’ trip to Philadelphia on Oct. 3.
As they do every year, the junior class was preparing to visit Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center to learn more about the founding of this country. However, Independence Hall, like most federally run places, is shutdown until the government comes up with a resolution.
Directly after the government shutdown was announced, History Teachers Alison Hogarth and Sarah Somers began calling museums in Philadelphia to find a replacement for Independence Hall.
“If you remove from the equation any governmental run facilities, there weren’t a lot of places left [to visit]. We were looking for places that can accommodate large groups and had enough historical information,” Hogarth said.
Hogarth and Somers decided that each history teacher would take their classes to a different museum. Some of the museums that were chosen included the Philadelphia History Museum and the National Museum of American Jewish Heritage.
On Oct. 2, Hogarth and Somers travelled to Philadelphia to check the accommodations for the trip on Oct. 3. One difficulty that Hogarth and Somers faced was that the museums the classes were to visit had an admission fee, unlike Independence Hall.
“Despite the fact that we couldn’t see Independence Hall, we were able to find other places to ensure that the trip was fun and educational,” Hogarth said.
The revised itinerary first had students visit the National Constitution Center for an hour and a half followed by each teacher taking their class to their assigned museum for an hour. Students were then able to get lunch and explore the city for an hour and forty-five minutes.
“I would have liked to visit Independence Hall, but I think even without seeing it we had a really fun and interesting time,” Rebecca O’Neill ’15 said.
“I was disappointed that I couldn’t see Independence Hall, but I am more disappointed by the government shutting down,” Amber Li ’15 said.
Congress continues to deliberate in order to reach a deal to end the shutdown.
