Two Clearwater High School students reached and reached but they could not touch the top of the Vietnam War Memorial. Intrigued by the number of the names on the wall, a student searched for the answer on her phone. There are 58,318 names on the wall that is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

A night visit of the memorials and monuments on the National Mall capped day three of the Clearwater High School Civil Rights Tour. The students also visited the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

For the fourth year, Clearwater High students participated in the Clearwater High Civil Rights Tour. The Freedom Ambassadors researched and participated in experiences that connected them to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. From March 15-18, the students visited Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala, Memphis, Tenn. and Washington, D.C. The trip was the culmination of a project-based,  personalized learning opportunity that included an in-depth tour of sites with historical significance for the Civil Rights Movement.

During their first day in Washington, D.C., the ambassadors took a photo in front of The White House and The Capital Building. They also visited the Holocaust Museum.

All learning for the Civil Rights Tour was student-driven. On their return from the tour, the student participants will lead a project-based learning experience for other Pinellas County Schools school groups. Clearwater High School is part of the first group of schools in the district to implement Personalized Learning through the district’s Pinellas Innovates plan.