Retired teacher continues to coordinate annual trip to D.C.

After President Kennedy was assassinated, Bill Schultz remembers his parents loading the family in the car for a road trip to the nation's capital.

That trip made a lasting impression on him.

"It made me want to be a good American and a good citizen," he said.

He went on to enlist in the military and served during the Vietnam War, where he was wounded in action.

Schultz hopes the same sense of patriotism he felt on his first trip to Washington, D.C., also will inspire the eighth-graders he takes there each year.

"It shapes them," he said. "It helps them be who they're going to be."

For the past 20 years, Schultz and his wife, Pamela, have organized a trip for area eighth-graders over spring break through the World Strides program.

Although he retired from his job as the metal shop teacher at Carson Middle School last year, he and his wife led the trip this year and plan to continue to do so.

"We like to stay somewhat involved with our youth and do something positive," he said. "It makes us feel good about our future."

As part of the trip, students tour Washington, D.C., visiting the Lincoln Memorial and other highlights of the National Mall, including going to the top of the Washington Monument.

They visit the Capitol and stop for photos at the White House.

From there, they go to Philadelphia where they tour Independence Hall and see the Liberty Bell.

The final stop is New York City where highlights include riding to the top of the Empire State Building and visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Although he's been many times, Schultz said the trip never gets old.

"It's a blast," he said. "Every time I go to Mount Vernon, I learn something new about George Washington."

This year, 93 students and 21 adults went on the trip. Any students in the area, ranging from Reno to Dayton to Gardnerville, who will be in the eighth grade next year are eligible.