DC STORM’s trip highlights included a stop at the Casemate Museum. Courtesy of the Author
By Jay Shorter
Director, DC STORM, Inc.
Over the weekend of June 21 to June 23 the non-profit organization DC STORM, Inc. (Students Taught Organization and Respect Mentored) traveled to the historical Hampton Roads Area of Virginia. The travel group consisted of fourteen boys who attend Jefferson Academy Middle School and three adult mentors. The generous grant fund from the Friends of Southwest DC gave the members of DC STORM, Inc. the opportunity for a great learning experience.
The group visited the campuses of Hampton University, Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University. Hampton University provided a strong educational and an important cultural opportunity with the viewing of the Emancipation Oak Tree. This historical landmark was the site of the first Southern reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The historical value of the tree did not stop the boys from climbing on it. The group visited and learned about the Casemate Museum in Fort Monroe. The museum covered the history of the defense of the southern part of the east coast in the 1600’s from the British naval invasion and later held Jefferson Davis as a prisoner after the American Civil War. The kids really enjoyed the site of the cannons, cannon balls, and other ammunition during those areas of history. Fort Monroe originally guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads.
In Norfolk, in addition to walking around the campuses of Old Dominion and Norfolk State Universities, the big attraction was the Nauticus Science Museum which offered a lot of hand-on activities. Telescopes, radar trackers, Morse Code devices, and the different types of artillery kept the students occupied. The kids also enjoyed climbing an obstacle course which ended with a sliding board. Docked outside of the museum is the USS Wisconsin Battleship. There DC STORM, Inc. members got an opportunity to see living quarters of the Navy, along with the workstations, long cannons, mess hall and what tools and technology were available to our Naval personnel.
The DC STORM, Inc. young men also had some fun things to do on the tour. They got to swim in the hotel swimming pool, play a little basketball and they spent time at a trampoline park. The funding support for this educational tour was made possible with the help of the Friends of Southwest DC. During the entire educational tour, the view of the Atlantic Ocean was incredible. This event will be remembered by the young men of DC STORM, Inc. for a long time thanks to Friends of Southwest DC.