LIVERMORE FALLS – When they first bought their tickets, they had no idea who would become the 44th president of the United States.

“It could have been Hillary. It could have been McCain. It’s going to be Barack Obama. I’m really excited. I can’t wait,” said Parker Holden, 16.

Holden and 13 other sophomores at Livermore Falls High School, with teachers Michelle Brann and Sue St. Pierre, will see history in the making on Tuesday when they attend Obama’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Jake Keene, 16, said. “No one is going to see the first black president sworn into office again.”

Students and teachers met for the last time Wednesday before they leave the high school at 5:30 a.m. Sunday to go to the Portland Jetport.

“Be prompt. If you are not here, we’re leaving without you,” Brann told the students.

She went over luggage, clothing and other issues for the four-day trip guided by EF Tours, an education-related tour company that organized the trip in conjunction with the Smithsonian museums.

“It’s going to be insanely crowded in Washington, D.C.,” Brann warned.

“Keep it simple,” St. Pierre said.

“I’m counting on you being Mainers and dressing for the cold,” Brann said.

They expect to be standing outside for five hours, in the grassy area between the Lincoln Memorial and the reflection pool during the parade and ceremony.

After they finished reviewing the checklist, it was time to practice the number system they will use to make sure everyone is there. Each person was assigned a number from one to 16.

The $1,500 cost of the trip is paid for by students and parents, with SAD 36 providing busing to and from the jetport.

“Since we’ve learned about the trip, we’ve been doing research,” said Bry Bates, 15. “It’s going to be exciting to see how it is done.”

“History,” Cheyanne Cushing, 15, whispered as her friend was talking. “We get to experience history.”

The group will tour the Smithsonian Institution museums and get a look at past presidents at the National Portrait Gallery and the artifacts of democracy at the National Museum of American History. They will visit the Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the city,” said James Lee, 16. “The inauguration is a super big event but going to see the city – all the history – I think it’s going to be overwhelming. I’m going to see all this history of America. I am looking forward to seeing history with my own eyes.”