Two weeks ago, fifth grade went to the library of our country’s 40th president, Ronald Reagan, which is located in Simi Valley. The field trip was both fun and taught the students about Reagan and his presidency.

Preparation for the field trip began before the field trip, when the students completed packets that described that were about the 1983 Granada crisis, where Reagan controversially sent troops into the small nation of Granada, saying that the island nation had built a military base for Cuba and Russia

The Reagan Library has several major artifacts, including Reagan’s Air Force One airplane and a section of the Berlin Wall. Reagan’s grave and memorial are located on the grounds. The plane flew seven presidents, those spanning from Nixon to George W. Bush, from 1973 to 2011. Students were allowed to walk through the presidential plane, along with Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Reagan is remembered for, among other things, his speech in favor of the wall being removed, in which he said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” (in reference to the Soviet leader and the Berlin wall). The wall survived Reagan’s presidency, but was taken down less than a year after he finished his second term as president.

Most of this year’s students greatly enjoyed the field trip. Most people in the older grades fondly remember their visit to the Reagan Library, and many say that their favorite field trip was this one.