Washington, D.C. Close Up 2014
by Vivian Rojas
To the Community of Seldovia,
Ten students from Susan B. English School are eager to attend a course in governmental studies offered by the Close Up Foundation in Washington, D.C. Close Up is built on the belief that textbooks and lectures alone are not enough to help students understand the democratic process and make it work. Students need a “close up” experience in government. Close Up’s national experiential government studies programs strengthen participants’ knowledge of how the political process works, increase their awareness of major national and international issues, and motivate them to become actively involved in the world around them.
All individuals deserve the opportunity to be informed citizens of our democracy. Each year, more than 25,000 students, teachers, and other adults take part in Close Up’s programs in Washington, D.C. Since the inception of its Washington-based programs in 1971, the Close Up Foundation has welcomed nearly 750,000 students and educators to the nation’s capital.
The Close Up Program will do the following:
* Motivate our students to become active participants in our democracy
* Strengthen their knowledge of how government works
* Increase their awareness of major national and international issues
Close Up Washington brings civic lessons to life by taking students behind the scenes and allowing them to witness their government in action. Students’ days are packed from morning to night with activities, including study visits to Washington landmarks, seminars with national leaders, peer-to-peer learning workshops, seminars with policy experts, and meetings with their legislators on Capitol Hill. In addition, students spend a night on the town at the theater and touring the monuments after dark. They will attend a formal banquet and dance, and they are given a day of scheduled independent time for exploring the city. You can find out more about Close Up at their web site: www.closeup.org.
The students will be traveling April 25–May 4, 2014. They will start their program April 27, Sunday night, and wrap up their week Friday morning. The group is planning on arriving one day early and staying one day later to explore more of our nation’s capital.
We started our funding efforts during the summer months with several car washes and bake sales. We have numerous fundraising ideas planned for the near future such as pizza sales, bake sales, raffles, dinners, pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, gift basket raffle coming soon, and much more. We realize not everyone can join us at our dinners and various fundraising endeavors, but if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation instead, we would be pleased to send you a receipt of your donation.
Every student is willing to work to pay for part of their costs, but many of the students and their parents cannot afford to pay the entire cost of the trip. This includes the tuition for the program, travel from Seldovia to Anchorage, and flights from Anchorage to Washington, D.C.
Your tax deductible donation will be an immense help in making this trip possible for the students. You will be helping to shape their lives in a positive way.
Please make a tax deductible donation payable to “Susan B. English School” for the 2014 Close Up trip and send it to:
Susan B. English School
Attn: Vivian Rojas
PO Box 171
Seldovia, AK 99663
We are looking for anyone who may be able to donate “companion fares” on Alaska Airlines to the group. Please contact Vivian through the school (907) 234-7616 if you have any questions or can donate in any way.
Thank you for your consideration and support. We will keep you posted on our fundraising activities.
Sincerely,
Vivian Rojas Judy Standafer
Washington, D.C. Coordinator Principal, Susan B. English School
Susan B. English School
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