On January 18, 1803 President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress to fund an expedition to the source of the Missouri River. This expedition would become known as the Corps of Discovery, which would spend twenty-eight months exploring, studying, and documenting the wonders of the western frontier. Led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expedition is a landmark of American history. It exemplifies the challenges of westward expansion (which included issues in international relations, economic competition, cross-cultural communication, and physical endurance) as revealed through the journals of several members of the Corps. In January of 2003, the celebration to commemorate the bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery's expedition began at Jefferson's Monticello home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Many celebrations and commemorations of the expedition will be held over the next three years. One of them could be held at your middle school. Kristy Brugar, teaches seventh grade American Studies and is the Social Science Subject Coordinator at Cranbrook Kingswood Boys Middle School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. In this article she shares the excitement, empathy and many learning opportunities her 7th grade classes experienced as they participated in the annual "Lewis & Clark Day" celebrations.