Grand Canyon Times

Grand Canyon School students are raising money for a planned trip to the nation’s capital in May, with little time to collect before they leave.

The trip was approved in January, and students immediately began fundraising efforts to procure approximately $2,000 needed for each child. The short turnaround time could make things difficult, but the trip is expected to be well worth it.

“The Washington, D.C. trip could help transform a group of eighth-grade students into deeply engaged, caring citizens." Janna Radarian, Grand Canyon’s middle school social studies teacher, said to Williams News.

The kids began raising money on Jan. 28 with a taco sale. They also hosted enchilada and bake sales and a spaghetti dinner, according to Williams News. The students suggested that parents can donate their Arizona School Tax Credit to help.

The group has received sponsorship from McDonald’s and Xanterra. Though most of the fundraising sales and events have already been held, the school still hopes to accumulate funds through donations from parents and staff members of Grand Canyon School, as well as other members of the community.

Students plan to visit Yorktown, Virginia, site of the legendary Revolutionary War battlefield, before going to Mount Vernon to visit the home of George Washington. Then, the group will finish the more than 2,200 mile trip to Washington to visit the Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian Museum, the Holocaust Museum, and the Washington Monument. 

Organizers said the goal of the trip is to allow students to experience locations that show how people can and have changed the world through democracy, according to Williams News.

Radarian said the group will take in the sights and reflect on what they’ve seen and learned. “The hope is that the Grand Canyon School eighth-grade students will emulate the inspirations of the past by being the change they wish to see in the world,” she said.