New Heights held the 5th annual middle school trip to Washington, DC during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. 42 middle school boys and girls traveled down to Washington, DC for a unique experience that combined academics, athletics, history, culture, and high school and college exposure. The theme for the weekend was “Civil Rights in Sports.” By using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement as the background and context, we explored the effects of civil rights on sports (and vice versa). Using prominent examples of athletes and teams who have overcome many obstacles to create freedoms and opportunities, we explored how race and ethnicity play a role in our world today. The student-athletes spent two weeks prior to the trip in ARC (Academic Resource Center) researching and preparing for the event.

Highlights of the trip included: a tour of Georgetown University led by New Heights alum and current Georgetown senior Ruben Montilla; touring the historic National Mall and viewing the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Vietnam and WWII War Memorials; attending a George Washington University v. Xavier University Mens basketball game on campus at GW; and New Heights scrimmages games against local basketball teams held at St. Albans School.

The trip was a tremendous success and the New Heights staff and chaperones helped create a memorable learning experience for all our student-athletes. A special thanks to Duane Simpkins and St. Albans School for hosting us for the weekend.