Car washes, American Legion breakfasts, rummage sales and Go Fund Me efforts are among the fundraising activities our Borrego Springs Middle School students are enthusiastically embracing in an effort to raise funds for their week-long history trip to Washington DC this April, 2023.

Learning and reading about US History via books and videos has introduced our students to Jamestown, Williamsburg, the White House, Lincoln Memorial, the Pentagon, the 911 Memorial, the Smithsonian Museums and much more. However, what could ever replace experiencing these places first hand?

For the majority of our students, this trip is out of their reach economically. With parents often working two jobs each to make ends meet, this $2,700 trip per student (covers airfare, lodging, all food and all entrance fees for a week) would never be possible without massive fundraising efforts. This is just what these dedicated students, teachers and parents are doing! With incredible fervor and enthusiasm, they are slowly raising the necessary funds.

For the 28 students hoping to fly to Washington DC, a little less than half of the necessary funds have already been raised. What remains is a balance of $49,000. This is due on January 18, 2023.

You may be asking what if any the Borrego Springs Unified School District can fund for this trip? The truth is that the state funding for our small school district cannot fund extracurricular activities such as this one. This is why we are seeking support from our community.

Your financial contribution, no matter how small, can make a huge difference in this once in a lifetime opportunity for our students. Many of our students have never flown on an airplane much less visited a part of the US that they study year after year and of which they have no first-hand experience.

If you would like to contribute to our students' understanding of our rich American history and democratic process, please feel free to send your contributions to the school district. See the information at the end of the article.

Many thanks for your on-going support of our students and community. The students you are supporting are the children of the working backbone of Borrego Springs – keeping our hotels and golf courses running, landscaping our yards, cooking and serving food in local restaurants and cleaning our homes and businesses. What a wonderful way to say, "Thank you".

Donations may be made to: BSUSD

In the byline write "MS Civics Club"

Drop off or mail to: BSUSD, 2281 Diegueno Road

Borrego Springs, California 92004