AFSers at the Washington Monument, 1978

AFS students, chaperones, and families in front of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. in 1978.This image cannot be reproduced outside the guidelines of United States Fair Use (17 U.S.C., Section 107) without advance permission from the AFS Archives. — AFS students, chaperones, and families in front of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. in 1978. Courtesy of the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs (AFS Archives.) This image cannot be reproduced outside the guidelines of United States Fair Use (17 U.S.C., Section 107) without advance permission from the AFS Archives.

In 1978, the AFS students hosted in the United States converged on the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. the day before their Departure Day. More than 1,000 students, chaperones, and families crammed into the area around the monument, with balloons flying and cries filling the air when old friends were reunited. AFS President Stephen Rhinesmith addressed the students there, though it was apparently difficult to hear him given the excited screams, singing, and chanting in the crowd. The photograph above shows some AFSers gleefully hoisting another AFSer in the air during the festivities.

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