Presidential inauguration tickets are hard to come by. But not for some students and staff atUniversity CityHigh School, who leave tomorrow forWashington,D.C.with plans to attend the inauguration on Monday, January 21.
Principal Michael Maclin said the idea to embark on this trip stems from his vision to engage students in real-world applications. “We don’t ask the question, ‘Why?’” he said. “We ask, ‘What will benefit our students and how can we do it?’”
The journey also sprang from an outreach visit from a staffer for U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. McCaskill was invited to the the University City School District’s Fall Legislative Breakfast held October 12 at Pershing Elementary School. Mattie Moore attended as the senator’s representative.
“The purpose of the breakfast was to open up a dialogue with area legislators about how we could establish a relationship that benefits students,” said Shantana T. Stewart, interim director of communications for the district.
Maclin and Moore exchanged business cards, and in NovemberMoorereached out to the principal regarding the opportunity for students to attend the inauguration.
McCaskill said in a statement that she is proud to help provide these deserving students with this historic opportunity and hopes it will be a memory that students will treasure for many years.
The cost of the trip, approximately $30,000, is being funded through community donations. Donors include state Rep. Rory Ellinger, alumnus Herf Jones, Dynamic Vending, Pi Pizzeria, and Leo and Kay Drey. “Not one dime is being spent by the school district,” Maclin said.
There were 188 students eligible to make the trip who met criteria based upon grades, a 93 percent attendance rate and no out-of-school suspensions. To narrow down the selection pool, students were asked to write a 750-1,500 word essay describing the most memorable moment from the 2012 presidential election and which issues impacted their lives. Over 80 essays were submitted to a panel of teachers and administrators, who conducted a blind read of each essay and chose 26 juniors and seniors.
Jeffrey Standifer, a senior at University CityHigh School, focused his essay on the value of PBS for urban children and remarks GOP presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney made about Sesame Street’s Big Bird. During the first of three presidential debates Gov. Romney said, “I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS. I like PBS. I like Big Bird. But I’m not gonna keep spending money on things to borrow money fromChina to pay for.”
Standifer disagreed, saying of PBS, “It reaches out to children who don’t necessarily live around libraries.” Other political issues students discussed in their essays ranged from the Democratic Party’s endorsement of same-sex marriage, public campaign financing and women’s rights, like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
During their stay inWashington,D.C., students and staff members will tour the White House, U.S. Supreme Court, Library of Congress,ArlingtonNationalCemetery, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and other monuments. Two college tours are also in the works atHowardUniversityandGeorgetownUniversity. There is a service-learning component to the trip, as students will be asked to write an essay about what they learned from their trip and how they will apply that knowledge to their school and community.
News of the students attending the inauguration has gained national recognition. Students and staff members were excited to learn that a CNN correspondent will meet the group upon their arrival.
“I’m very proud of all of the students who are going because we challenged them to be great and not good,” Maclin said. “We always say, ‘Great and good are adversaries. They don’t get along. They don’t hang out. They’re not friends.’”
CNN producer Julian Cumming confirmed that the segment on the students’ visit will air on CNN either January 19 or 20.
