Vote! The WJC Spring 2010 students have made their digital scavenger hunts available via YouTube. We're asking all SIJ/WJC alums to cast your votes by Sunday at 9 a.m. for the best scavenger hunt video. Help your heirs win something cool!
To cast your vote, simply place a comment at the end of this piece with your vote the winning team.
For each team, you'll see their assignment and their video.
ALL GROUPS: Find the front door of the office of the senior U.S. Senator from the state of the oldest member of your team.
SUPER BONUS FOR ALL: Act out a scene from "National Treasure," on the original site.
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Team One:
Visit the legendary piano that President Truman played, with a certain sultry actress draped across it. Clue: You will probably need help to visit it, unless you are sneaky. Prove that you visited it, somehow.
Can you find some real Ethiopian food? Prove it.
In addition to being a Washington Post columnist, E.J. Dionne, Jr., is a scholar and researcher at a major "think tank" here in Beltway land. Where?
Take a picture at the home of the “Sage of Anacostia.”
BONUS! Stand underneath a whale. Clue: A real giant squid is nearby.
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Team Two:
Photography a commercial airliner as it lands on top of your head while standing in a public park (well, it will be really big and loud and it will look like it's landing on your head).
Visit the official museum/research center dedicated to the life of Pope John Paul II. Are his skis still there?
The president did it. You can do it too. Eat at the world-famous Ben’s Chili Bowl restaurant.
Take a picture of your group outside the Watergate (where is THE door?).
BONUS! Visit the memorial to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
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Team Three:
Take a picture of your group with the statue of the first Catholic bishop elected here in America.
Eat something at the appropriately named Post Pub. Try the onion rings.
The official monument to FDR includes a nod to the power of one form of mass media. What is it? Show us.
Washington contains one of the nation's only official monuments in honor of those who died on the U.S.S. Titanic. Go there. Please, do not use that song in this part of the video.
BONUS! In what hotel did the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., write the "I have a dream speech"? Visit the lobby. Why else is this lobby famous?
I vote for team 1. I loved it : ) Mimi
Posted by: Mimi Perreault | January 20, 2010 at 10:05 AM
My vote's gotta go to Team #2. The "Ben's Chili Place" comment put me over the edge... couldn't stop laughing. Great work, WJC-ers.
Posted by: Jamie | January 20, 2010 at 10:10 AM
I'm going with three, for it's brevity. And for whomever that was reading "The Onion" at dinner (while eating onion rings!). I did find it...interesting...that team one picked "Jai Ho" as its ethnic music, though. You know, Indian, Ethiopian...close enough.
Posted by: Marcus | January 20, 2010 at 12:00 PM
First of all, they were all great! I always love watching WJC videos because memories flood back to me! My vote goes to Team 1! Great job to all of you.
Posted by: Elizabeth Wood | January 20, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Best video moment: the girl doing the tong dance behind the counter at Ben's.
Best video: Team Three's, for using a single, non-distracting music track behind their final piece, heeding the revered journalistic tradition of "edit, edit, edit" and avoiding animated type. Also, for the gusto with which that blonde girl ate her onion ring.
Posted by: jSimone | January 20, 2010 at 01:26 PM
I vote for team 1;) Good job guys! Your hard work payed off!
Posted by: Lauren Foggy | January 20, 2010 at 01:52 PM
Team 3...short yet sweet..plus great music.
Posted by: nanderso | January 20, 2010 at 02:44 PM
All were good. I think I'm going with 3. I'm impressed with your conciseness. (yes, it's a word, I looked it up.)
Posted by: zack | January 20, 2010 at 09:38 PM
My vote is for #1. "Illinois, the corrupt state" made me laugh out loud. Also, it looked like you trekked way out for Douglass' house...and he also lived on Capitol Hill. Much closer. :)
Posted by: Jessica Shumaker | January 20, 2010 at 09:52 PM
I vote for team #1!! Great job guys! Kudos on the song choices. (I especially liked that you used the Pussycat Dolls remix of "Jai Ho" in your video. Nice touch.)
Hey Tmatt and Greg, are you guys sick of that Paper Planes song yet? I feel like a team has used that song in their video every single semester!
Posted by: Mitzi | January 21, 2010 at 12:06 AM
Team three from me!!
Posted by: Natalie Lester | January 21, 2010 at 05:15 PM
Team 3
Because of the look on Jurgen's face when someone asks him, "Do we know where we're going this time?"
And it's just generally pleasant.
Posted by: Moody | January 22, 2010 at 09:49 AM
Choosing the best one gets harder every semester; they were all really good! But, I have to go with Team 3 :-).
Posted by: JessicaZ | January 22, 2010 at 10:32 AM
I'm impressed with how all the teams found so many of the places/things they were supposed to find. I have to go with Team One. You did a fantastic job.
Congrats, WJCers!
Posted by: Melanie | January 22, 2010 at 02:05 PM
Justine Carter and Cat Snyder from American Studies and I vote for team 3!!!
Btw, is there a curse on team 2 videos? because I remember Cindy's team continually getting lost too...
Posted by: Kimi | January 23, 2010 at 01:19 PM
Kimi, a little bit of slack. Please. Respect the "delayed" teams... haha..
Team 1: Grrrreat Music and soo creative!
Team 2: I totally understand your pain. Great Job, though!!
Team 3: You guys make it look soooo easy!! haha.. Awesome Job.
I have to vote for TEAM 1. SOO CREATIVE, nice background music & good team work! ;D
Posted by: Cindy Ortiz | January 23, 2010 at 06:20 PM
My vote goes to Team 1 for its artistic touch and good use of music. I wish we'd had video cameras during SIJ in 2003.
Posted by: Aimee Goodwin | January 23, 2010 at 07:12 PM