Beth Duckett
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 23, 2006 12:00 AM
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David Wallace/The Arizona Republic
Carlee Martinez, 4, eyes her spaghetti during a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at Osborn Elementary School in Phoenix.
When Michaela
Link heads to the nation's capital next year, it will be her first
time on an airplane.
Not to mention her first time seeing the Holocaust Museum, the Capitol and other places she never thought she would see.
Michaela will be among 70 students from Osborn Middle School in Phoenix to visit Washington, D.C., for three days in the summer or fall of 2007, thanks to a school program that raises money for the trip.
"I think we're going to be busy the whole time," said Michaela, 13. "A lot of learning and also fun."
Osborn Middle School is a Title I school, which means most of its students come from poor families, said Brian Holman, the program's sponsor. Holman said many of the kids cannot afford the luxury of a simple weekend vacation, much less a trip across the U.S.
Since 2003, students and school officials have joined forces to raise the money through intensive fund-raising, including carwashes and a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser in December.
"It was pretty cool because all the students got to be waiters and waitresses," Michaela said. "The parents sat down and we went over to serve them."
The program also relies on donations from the community and parents, Holman said.
Students who applied and kept good grades may go as long as they raise the money.
During their first year, the group needed to raise $30,000, which seemed nearly impossible at the time, Holman said.
After an unsuccessful fund-raising attempt at Sweet Tomatoes (it raised only $234), the students decided to take major action. And they did, raising the entire amount three months later.
This year the cost has doubled to $60,000, because the number of students has doubled. Holman is as confident as ever when it comes to the fund-raising.
"We have never had a kid not go because of the money," he said.
The trip will be packed with activities from Day 1, including a visit to the National Mall and to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Students will hand deliver a packet to a congressman with ideas on how to change the world.
"They research the issue in language arts and social studies," said Holman, who teaches social studies at the school. "They create ideas for a new law. All of them are put together and it ends up being hundreds of pages of student work."
At the end of the day, everyone will gather at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to wrap up their days in a discussion.
"I want them to see that when you value education and you work hard, there are benefits," Holman said. "I want them to be working for something beyond the drama of middle school life."
Officials are always accepting donations. For more information, go to www.osborn net.org/oef.
Not to mention her first time seeing the Holocaust Museum, the Capitol and other places she never thought she would see.
Michaela will be among 70 students from Osborn Middle School in Phoenix to visit Washington, D.C., for three days in the summer or fall of 2007, thanks to a school program that raises money for the trip.
"I think we're going to be busy the whole time," said Michaela, 13. "A lot of learning and also fun."
Osborn Middle School is a Title I school, which means most of its students come from poor families, said Brian Holman, the program's sponsor. Holman said many of the kids cannot afford the luxury of a simple weekend vacation, much less a trip across the U.S.
Since 2003, students and school officials have joined forces to raise the money through intensive fund-raising, including carwashes and a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser in December.
"It was pretty cool because all the students got to be waiters and waitresses," Michaela said. "The parents sat down and we went over to serve them."
The program also relies on donations from the community and parents, Holman said.
Students who applied and kept good grades may go as long as they raise the money.
During their first year, the group needed to raise $30,000, which seemed nearly impossible at the time, Holman said.
After an unsuccessful fund-raising attempt at Sweet Tomatoes (it raised only $234), the students decided to take major action. And they did, raising the entire amount three months later.
This year the cost has doubled to $60,000, because the number of students has doubled. Holman is as confident as ever when it comes to the fund-raising.
"We have never had a kid not go because of the money," he said.
The trip will be packed with activities from Day 1, including a visit to the National Mall and to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Students will hand deliver a packet to a congressman with ideas on how to change the world.
"They research the issue in language arts and social studies," said Holman, who teaches social studies at the school. "They create ideas for a new law. All of them are put together and it ends up being hundreds of pages of student work."
At the end of the day, everyone will gather at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to wrap up their days in a discussion.
"I want them to see that when you value education and you work hard, there are benefits," Holman said. "I want them to be working for something beyond the drama of middle school life."
Officials are always accepting donations. For more information, go to www.osborn net.org/oef.