Village students raise money for D.C. trip Village students raise money for D.C. trip (October 14, 2005)

"Close-Up Week" fundraiser builds school spirit
by Rebecca Guyon

Every year, groups of high school students from around the country descend on Washington, D.C. through the Close-Up Foundation, a non-profit organization that facilitates school trips to D.C. Most schools in California participate, including Village High School. But for Village, Close-Up is more than a typical field trip. The school centers a whole week of activities, aptly named "Close-Up Week," to raise money and then send one student on the $1,400 trip, all expenses paid.

"I am a fanatic about Close-Up," said Village teacher Ann Crawford. "I teach history and civics, so I talk about Close-Up almost every day. It is a fabulous program to learn about government in real world situations." Crawford, who has taught at Village since it opened 29 years ago, has organized the Close-Up trip, and subsequently Close-Up Week, for the past 20 years.

During the week, students are teamed up with their third period classes and participate in a series of competitions that include tug-o-war, balloon races and doing the limbo, just to name a few. Each class puts in five dollars for the competition and whoever wins that day's event gets the pot, which is usually $35. Classes also raise money by selling food each day with each class picking a different theme. Parents and the community help out as well by giving donations.

"It's a lot of fun and really cool how the teachers get so into it," said junior Cayleigh Williamson who is going on the Close-Up trip this year.

At the end of the week, enough money is raised for the trip and the student who gets it is picked through a raffle. Students who participated the most during the week get three raffle tickets to put in the mix, bettering their chances of getting picked. The class that raised the most money gets a pizza party.

"On the last day we announce who the winner is, and you should see the look on the face of the kids that win," Crawford said.

This year, the goal is to raise money for one student, but in years past students have raised enough to send two or three, it just depends on how much they can raise, Crawford said.

More than raising money, the week also builds school spirit for the students.

"We don't have a homecoming here," Crawford said. "So this is where you build the bonding and the fellowship in the school."

"I think this is better than homecoming," said junior John Genard, another Close-Up student. "I like that we have something fun to do every day."

This year, Village will be going on the Close-Up trip from Nov. 27-Dec. 3. The Village group of students goes to D.C. a few days before they are scheduled to meet up with the other school groups so they can get in a lot of sightseeing, including a trip to Mt. Vernon that is paid for with a generous donation from the Pleasanton Police Officers Association. Clorox also gives Village a donation toward financing the trip. As of now, 15 students are signed up to go, Crawford said.

The trip includes an overnight visit to historic Williamsburg, Va., a tour of the Capitol building and meeting with Congressman Richard Pombo, a show at Ford's Theater and the national monuments. Students will also take part in lectures, workshops and debates on current events. This is what really sets the trip apart from visiting D.C. on a family trip, Crawford said.

"It is a great group of kids that are going this year," Crawford said. "They are really enthusiastic about politics and history. I always ask students why they want to go and I want to hear about government and the country. If they say just sightseeing, then this is not their trip."

Students going on the trip said they were most looking forward to visiting the Holocaust Museum, the Supreme Court, Williamsburg and Ford's Theater. And even though they are academically-minded, of course the social aspect is something they are all looking forward to, as well.

"I'm interested in meeting a bunch of people and getting to know the people at my school better," said junior Caitlin Coblentz.

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