D.C. trip of a lifetime for 24 NBC students

Published 7/16/25

In the early morning hours on Friday, June 27, 24 North Bend Central students, one teacher and 13 parents were at the school to board a bus for an adventure in history. The bus left at 7 a.m., and took them to the Omaha airport for a direct flight to Washington, D.C.

Teacher Jenna Saalfeld had been planning the trip with the World Classroom organization since March 2024. The students had worked through the school year to help raise the funds, a little more than $2,000 each, for the trip. The price included everything: transportation, hotel rooms and meals.

Twenty-four NBC students and chaperones saw the sites in Washington.

"We had guides from the company from the time we left school on Friday until we returned on Monday evening," Saalfeld said. "When we got to Washington we met a local expert who was with us the whole time."

Their guide knew the area well and Saalfeld felt he made sure they experienced as much as they could in four days.

Upon arrival in Washington, the NBC students joined with a group of 16 from McCool Junction and went to the Pentagon to see the 9-11 memorial there. This is something that happened eight or more years before the students were even born, yet it is a part of our history and these students have seen the impact it has on our lives yet today.

Friday also included visits to the World War I, Washington and Theodore Roosevelt memorials.

On Saturday they toured the Capitol, Library of Congress, Holocaust Museum, the Albert Einstein home and the Marine Iwo Jima Memorial. After lunch they saw the Vietnam, Lincoln, and Korean War memorials. They were on the bus each day by 6:30 or 7 a.m. and kept going until 8:30 p.m. or dark.

On Sunday they took an 1.5 hour drive to Gettysburg, many seeing things they had just talked about in history class.

"It was neat to see students make connections to the things they learned about in school," Saalfeld said.

Back in Washington for dinner that evening they then went to the FDR, Martin Luther King memorials and old town Alexandria.

Monday before catching the 6 p.m. flight home, the students and parents toured the White House and saw the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

Everyone had their favorite part of the trip, many were impressed with the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetery and the Holocaust Museum.

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