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Coming in summer 2018.... PTP - Boston and plymouth!

We are glad to announce that PTP VI will take place from June 5 - June 9, 2018!

This year we are travelling to Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts.  The itinerary is a still being worked out, but we will share with you what we have finalized.  We will fly out of Lincoln early on Tuesday morning and arrive in Boston in mid-afternoon. On Wednesday we will take a ten-hour walking tour of Boston...mainly focusing on the Freedom Trail. On Thursday, we will take a charter bus (because no public transportation is available) to Plymouth where we will spend the majority of our day at Plimouth Plantation - an incredible living history museum.  On Friday around noon we will board Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited to spend the rest of the day - and night - travelling to Chicago.  We will arrive in Chicago Saturday morning and complete our journey home aboard the California Zephyr arriving in Lincoln early Sunday morning.

An informational meeting will be held in Mr. Brousek's room on September 20th @ 7 PM.  Deadline for deposit is in late October.  We have just a limited number of seats available this year.

PTP VI - San francisco  2017 - CANCELLED

Due to a lack of participants we were  forced to cancel this year's l PTP trip. 
We apologize to the people that signed up.

PTP V - Philadelphia & New YORK CITY...The summer of Tenopir -2016

Pounding the Pavement V was a huge success! One day in Philadelphia and two days in New York City.  So much to see in so little of time!

We arrived in Philadelphia shortly after noon.  After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we departed for our ten-hour walking tour of historical Philadelphia.  The highlight of the day was our exploration of Independence Hall.  Here we were in Philadelphia just a few short weeks from our nation's birthday.

New York City was unbelievable! So many people! So much to explore! So little time!  Our two tour guides, Derrick and Brooklyn Jim, did the best they could to give us the chance to experience the sights and sounds of New York City.  Seeing a Broadway musical, exploring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, discovering Central Park, going to the 84th Floor of the Empire State Building, seeing and visiting the 9/11 Memorial will forever be burned in every participant's memory.

Thank you Mr. Tenopir for suggesting we explore these two cities!  We have already decided that there is too much to experience in one trip.  From here on out, we will spend one year exploring Philadelphia and one year exploring New York City.

Don't worry Mrs. Lori Roumph....Pounding the Pavement VI is for you!  San Francisco here we come!

PTP IV - Washington, DC 2015

61 participants from Cedar Bluffs High School and Heartland Lutheran High School experienced Washington, DC in a manner that few Americans ever have the opportunity.

Participants in Pounding the Pavement IV - Washington, DC spent four days exploring our nation's capital city and two days enjoying the beauty of our nation's landscape on Amtrak's Capitol Limited and California Zephyr.

PTP IV began on the morning of Tuesday, June 2nd.  The students and chaperons arrived in Washington, DC in the early afternoon.  Cedar Bluffs alum TJ Lee assisted the students and chaperons that landed at Dulles International Airport make their way to the Hotel Harrington - our group's "home away from home" for the next three nights.  Tuesday evening and night was spent touring and learning about the many national monuments and memorials at the National Mall and along the Tidal Basin.  Students were given the opportunity to explore the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Wall Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.  The students left the school at 3:30 in the morning and our first day in DC did not end until 11:30 that night!

Wednesday was the group's first full day in Washington, DC. With a six o'clock wake up call, the students spent the morning exploring and experiencing Capitol Hill.  The students were able to tour the US Supreme Court Building, the Library of Congress, and the US Capitol.  On Wednesday afternoon, the students were provided the opportunity to explore the Smithsonian Institute spread across the National Mall. While some students enjoyed the American History Museum or the Air and Space Museum, other students explored the National Archives or one of the many art museums near the Capitol.  Wednesday evening, the entire group participated in an Abraham Lincoln Assassination Tour which ended at the steps of Ford's Theater - just two blocks from our hotel. Some students kept track of how many miles they walked each day.  Some students recorded walking as many as 16 miles on Wednesday!

A little tired, the students began Thursday with a tour of Arlington National Cemetery.  After having the opportunity to experience the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, the students again had the opportunity to explore this incredible city.  Some students took advantage of timed tickets and went to the top of the Washington Monument.  Desiring to learn more about Abraham Lincoln's assassination, over forty students toured the inside Ford's Theater and the Peterson House - where Abraham Lincoln died.  Thursday evening the students spent a relaxing but "scary" night touring Georgetown listening to ghost stories from the neighborhood.

Our last large group tour took place on Friday morning.  The students explored DuPont Circle and Embassy Row on Friday morning before having a few hours to visit the places they still desired to experience.  Around one in the afternoon, it was time to depart Washington, DC and head for home!

For many in the group, PTP IV was the first time that they had flown, taken a subway or been east of the Missouri River.  After spending nearly 72 hours in our nation's capital city (with less then 22 hours of sleep) and walking nearly fifty miles, it was time for relaxation and fellowship on board Amtrak.  Delays on the California Zephyr prevented the group from taking part in the pizza tour scheduled for Chicago.  Thanks to the effort of our Pizza Squad - Mr. Viergutz, Cody, Kyle and Jared B. - we were still able to enjoy the pizza from Pequads and Flo and Santos.

Some refer to Pounding the Pavement ventures as vacations...but those people have never experienced one of our ventures!  Pounding the Pavement ventures are massive fieldtrips where the learning never stops!



Ptp III - Boston, plymouth (and chicago, too) 2014 - 

Pounding the Pavement III YouTube Video
Mission accomplished! 20 students, 11 chaperons, Mr. Viergutz and Cody Brousek explored Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts for three days before departing for home aboard Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited and the California Zephyr.  From all indications, everyone that participated thoroughly enjoyed the educational adventure.

Arriving in Boston early Thursday afternoon the group traveled by shuttle, subway, public bus, and foot to their "home away from home" just blocks from Boston's harbor. Everyone took advantage of free time to explore the harbor and eat a "lupper" (lunch+supper) in a neighborhood eatery before enjoying an evening listening to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Friday morning and afternoon was purely educational as the Pounders participated in a ten-hour walking tour of Boston's Freedom Trail.  Brian of Free Tours by Foot led the group throughout the day.  His love for Boston was contagious as all the participants gained knowledge and insight into Boston's role in the American Revolution! The group experienced the sites and sounds of Bunker Hill, Paul Revere's house, and the North Church just to name a few stops along their ten-mile trek.  Participants also had the opportunity to tour the 216 year old USS Constitution - the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy.

After an evening of delicious food, fellowship and souvenir shopping the Pounders found themselves spending Saturday in Plymouth, Massachusetts!  For many in the group, it was their first time seeing and stepping into the Atlantic Ocean.  Saturday was spent exploring such places as the Mayflower II, the Grist Mill, and Plimoth Plantation - one of the finest living history museums in New England.  Saturday evening was spent in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood with the group's favorite tour guide - Brian.  Brian and the group explored the neighborhood focusing on various crimes that have taken place throughout the neighborhood's history, paying special attention to the actions of the Boston Strangler.  By the way, the group caught a glimpse of Secretary of State John Kerry entering his Boston home!

It took the Pounders just three hours to fly to Boston, but it was going to take them over thirty hours to come back to Nebraska! Why take the train? Travelling on Amtrak allows the participants to see America! Sunday afternoon and evening the train traveled through the Appalachian Mountains and followed the Erie Canal.  Both sites were enjoyed by the group.
Traveling on the train also allowed the students and chaperons time to recover from the hectic pace of the previous three days.  The train also allowed the group time for fellowship and to share their experiences of the excursion.  Monday, during the four-hour layover in Chicago, the Pounders explored Chicago with Jonathon of Chicago Pizza Tours.  While learning about the history of the "Windy City" the group was able to feast at two of Chicago's famous pizzerias.

The five day adventure concluded at 3 in the morning on Tuesday.  A big thank you to the chaperons! Also we need to thank the efforts of Mr. Viergutz and Cody Brousek who led the group.  Finally, a big thank you to the students! Their behavior and attitude on the trip was awesome!  We heard so many good things about our students.  With just a few hours of sleep the students were back at school on Tuesday morning ready to share their experiences with their classmates.  

What an enjoyable, educational experience for all that participated.  

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PTP ii - Boston 2013

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Eighteen seniors from Cedar Bluffs High School and 6 chaperons traveled to the Boston-area for 4 days this past March.  

We arrived in Boston Monday evening, and before calling it a night, the entire group took a night tour of Boston.

Tuesday morning came early and to our surprise we awoke to 8+ inches of snow! We still explored Boston on a 10-hour walking tour.  Traveling along the Freedom Trail, the participants viewed such places as the docked USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, Harvard University,  the North Church, Paul Revere’s house and experienced Quincy Market

Tuesday evening was spent enjoying the talents of David Connor. Mr. Connor is a Paul Revere re-enactor.  He helped us all gain a greater appreciation for Mr. Revere.

Wednesday we travelled by charter bus to Plymouth, Massachusetts.  In Plymouth we soaked up our nation’s history as we explored the  town and one of the many living history museums in the area—Plimoth Plantation. Upon our return to Boston, we jumped on board Old Towne Trolley’s Ghost and Gravestones private trolley car as we experienced the sites and history of three of Boston’s oldest cemeteries.

With just a few hours of sleep, we departed from Boston early  Thursday morning- - but our adventure was still not over!  Our flight landed in Chicago where Jon of  Chicago Pizza Tours picked us up and escorted us to  Union Station. Oh by the way, as we travelled from the airport to the train station, Jon shared with us Chicago’s history and treated us to two of the city’s finest local pizzerias!

Exhausted, and with our stomach’s full of pizza, we boarded Amtrak’s California Zephyr. Our time on the train allowed us  to share all of our experiences and enjoy a delicious meal as our train traveled across Illinois and Iowa.  We arrived in Lincoln Friday morning. 

A few hours later we were back at school ready to share with others our experiences!

Pounding the pavement - our nation's capital - 2012

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In March 2012 over 30 members of the Classes of 2012, 2013, and 2014 took advantage of the opportunity to travel to our nation’s capital. 

While in Washington, D.C., our students explored many of the city’s national monuments, toured the Capitol and Arlington National Cemetery, visited several  museums and galleries of the Smithsonian Institute, and took a private guided night tour of the area.

Because of the overwhelming positive response of students, parents, chaperons and community members, we began to plan for future PTP educational experiences!

The excitement and behavior exhibited by our students set the tone for what is evolving into a wonderful program for our students!
       



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