They traveled to Washington, D.C., as eighth-graders, just four years ago.

But this time, their visit is different.

Now, the eight seniors at Madison Jr./Sr. High School said they’re more mature and more plugged into politics. As one student said, the trip will have “a deeper meaning” than the one they took in 2009.

The Madison students will join a group of students from Carlisle High School and Butler Tech on Friday morning for a five-day bus trip touring Washington, D.C.

The highlight: President Barack Obama’s inauguration on Monday.

The trip is part education, part vacation.

The Madison students will be responsible for updating their student blogs throughout the trip. Each of them were previously selected to blog about their senior year as part of a program instituted by A.J. Huff, the district’s spokeswoman.

“It’s a neat opportunity,” said Huff, who is making her first trip to the nation’s capital.

Madison senior Ashley Wagner called the opportunity “once in a lifetime.”

Ironically, the students started planning the trip before President Obama was re-elected in November. About 800,000 people are expected at the inauguration, which is 1 million less than the amount that packed the grounds four years ago for Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

Being in Washington, D.C. for Martin Luther King Day will also be exciting, the students said.

The official theme for the 2013 inauguration is “Faith in America’s Future,” commemorating the United States’ perseverance and unity, marking the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome in 1863.

Each of the students was responsible for raising $650, the cost of the five-day trip. They also are scheduled to watch the Inauguration Parade, which will include the Miami University marching band, and visit the Newseum, National Museum of Health and Medicine, Holocaust Museum and take a night tour of the monuments.

Besides Wagner, the Madison students making the trip are: Rylie Markle, Emily McGuire, Olivia Owens, Josh Vance, David Schenck, Dylan Brown and Samantha Sennet.

The Senior Experience program has been recognized as one of three “Outstanding Programs” in Ohio’s southwest region by the Ohio School Boards Association, according to the district.

Seniors in the program serve as unpaid interns in the district communications department, earning Language Arts credit.