By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Dawn Culver, Abby Stokes, Casen Perez, Forrest Weaks, Chapman Mica, Leonardo Alday Valdez, Kennedy Rudolph, River Jorgensen, Ava Ashcraft and Ni Venters are Texas City High School students who will be leaving the balmy temperatures of the Texas coast to head for a much colder climate.
The 10 Texas City High School students have been spending their after-school hours preparing for a trip to our nation’s capital. With their eyes and minds open, they are prepared for a fully immersive learning experience along with enjoying the many historic sites in Washington, D.C. This is the 15th annual D.C. trip for Texas City High School students.
This year’s trip will include six adult chaperones, one of whom is the school principal, Bobby Temple. He is as excited as the students because this will be his first trip to D.C.
Another chaperone, staff member Christina Chapa, is also excited to serve as a chaperone— she was one of the original students who went on the inaugural trip 15 years ago.
“The Lincoln Memorial was not accessible when I was a student, so I am really looking forward to seeing it this time,” said Chapa. She is also excited to revisit her favorite D.C. museums.
Funds for the students’ Washington D.C. excursion are provided through the Texas City Rotary Club. Rotarian Randy Dietel championed the initiative and is excited to send students to D.C.
“I can see the future in these young people,” said Dietel. “They learn a lot and grow from their trip to Washington, and their visit helps them connect to our national leaders.”
Though the trip is funded by the Rotarians, the students are responsible for $200 towards the cost of their trip.
Along with seeing the many historic sites, the students will also be touring congressional chambers and will be interacting with policy makers. Students are gearing up for their honored time with policy makers.
In the past month, the students have selected three current event issues to explore. The issues they selected are immigration, women’s rights and inflation. During this month they have also worked on speaking and listening skills along with researching and understanding the topics.
“Our students don’t just visit Washington, D.C.—they prepare for it. We anticipate they’ll return home more confident, more informed and more empowered to engage respectfully in civic life,” said Talysa McCall, a director with the Institute for Civility, the organization responsible for coordinating the trip.
The girls will be in blazers, and the boys will be wearing suits and ties when they visit the congressional chambers. This is when their hard work in preparations will be demonstrated. They will be engaged participants with congressional staff; they will make their presentations and be ready to listen thoughtfully and engage in dialogue covering inflation, women’s rights and immigration.
Though they will be experiencing the intensity of meeting national policy makers and sharing their ideas, the students expressed they are looking forward to the trip. Some of the places on their favorites to see are the Natural History Museum, the Holocaust Museum, Capitol Hill, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art and of course the numerous memorials, which will include the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial.
As part of their preparation for their adventures in D.C., they have been advised to be prepared for cold weather with items such as cold climate jackets and warm socks. They have also been prepared for the many security points they will encounter while touring D.C.
The students board their plane on Saturday, February 28, and return to Texas on Thursday, March 5. After their return, they are expected to give presentations to the Texas City Rotary Club covering what they learned and experienced. We wish them a safe and enlightening adventure!
