WASHINGTON - Omaha fifth-graders scrambled from one side of the tour bus to the other as they tried to get the best view of the National Cathedral's 300-foot central tower.

Fifth graders from Crestridge Magnet School went on a whirlwind tour of Washington D.C. on April 3. Here, the students check out the artwork up high in the Capitol Rotunda while on a guided tour of the building. "Dude, it's right there."

The peek at the cathedral was part of a whirlwind trip last Tuesday for 16 Crestridge Magnet School fifth-graders. It started when their plane took off from Omaha for the nation's capital at 6:10 a.m. and ended when their return flight touched down at about 9:30 p.m.

The students are members of the west Omaha school's government club. With the occasional sleepy yawn, they hustled their way through an ambitious schedule during 10 hours on the ground in Washington.

Each student had been assigned a memorial or institution to research and inform the rest of the group about as they visited. That included the Supreme Court where, as one student said, the "very, very hard" cases get decided.

Josh Nedved, 10, gave the group a few facts about the dimensions of the Lincoln Memorial and noted that it was dedicated by President Warren G. Harding.

The group of eight boys, eight girls and six chaperones had hoped to meet with Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., but with Congress in recess, the lawmaker was out of town. Lucky for him. The students had brainstormed some probing questions, including, "Does the president do what you tell him?"

During the bus tour, Keegan Lathrum pointed out that D.C. license plates bear the logo "Taxation Without Representation," a reference to the fact that the district's delegate in the House of Representatives has no vote.

Keegan said the trip was probably the best day of his young life. "It's something not every fifth-grader gets to do, so it's a pretty special experience."

This is the second year the school has sent a group to Washington. Last week's trip cost $250 per student, which included the cost of airfare and the tour bus.

The students were encouraged to do their own fundraising and pitch in with extra work around the house to pay for the trip. Six scholarships were available, one from a private donor and the rest from the school.

Wiles said the journey to Washington serves as a way of focusing classroom instruction. The students share what they learn with their classmates after they return.

Copyright 2007 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.

This is cache, read story here