In Middleburg, Virginia, students from across the country find a home in a 35-day history camp.
The camp, named the National History Academy (NHA), offers a history curriculum with classroom teachings and trips to Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is based in Middleburg, Virginia.
Each year, 100 students attend the camp and are taught by six master teachers and 12 teaching assistants, visiting 42 historical sites in 5 weeks.
Students from across the U.S. attend the camp. Farmington student Katie Broten, 17, and Colorado Springs student Dylan Prentiss, 17, spoke to The Durango Herald about their experience at the camp.
Broten said she applied for NHA because of her love of history.
“I especially love Washington D.C., because I love politics and I wanted to be somewhere I was in the center of it all,” Broten said. “I thought it was a really good opportunity to broaden my horizons.”
Pentriss said he also has a love for history.
“I’ve never been in this area of the East Coast, and I just decided that I wanted to apply,” he said.
Students in NHA were exposed to many historical places, from the White House and Capitol to Gettysburg Memorial and Jamestown, Virginia.
Broten said her favorite part of the camp so far has been the camp’s trip to the White House.
“I love everything we do in D.C., but personally the White House was amazing and getting to see all the official portraits and the movie theater,” Broten said. “I kind of geeked out, all of it was amazing.”
Prentiss said his favorite part was going to Jamestown, Virginia.
Both Broten and Prentiss are rising high school seniors, and said the trip inspired them to look into colleges in the area. Broten said her No. 1 college pick would be Georgetown in D.C.
Prentiss, who wants to be a librarian, said he is open to schools across the U.S.
Even going to a highly politicized city in D.C., Broten, who identifies more to the left, said the camp is bipartisan and encourages students to think on their own.
“I was so excited to go to the White House, I don’t think I would care who’s in office at all,” Broten said.