This page is to give updates and information about fundraising opportunities to help SJO go to Washington DC for the Civics Nationals. If you are willing to, please share this page with your friends and family so more people can know about it. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these SJO students and this is a way to help them have this opportunity. Here is some background:
Twelve senior
s from St. Joseph-Ogden High School have earned an opportunity to have a remarkable experience and we need your help to make it happen. One of the great challenges facing our country today is the creation of civic responsibility in our youth. Engaging in congressional hearing simulations has proven to do just that in the classroom. Following a strong second-place finish at the "We the People: Citizen and the Constitution" Illinois State Finals in Chicago, these students have the opportunity to compete at the National Finals in Washington D.C. in April. This experience has the potential to dramatically shape the lives and career choices of the young women and men that make the trip. Their challenge is to prepare and defend a concise argument about Constitutional issues, our challenge is to get them there. The costs of the trip to the National Finals are estimated to be over $2000 per student ($24,000 for the group). Our school cannot fund the trip as no money has been set aside for the expenses. The members of this competition team are all seniors and their families are preparing for college expenses looming in the near future. We are considering all possible fundraising activities, but our time is short. It is here where your contribution toward deferring the cost of the trip could make all the difference. We appreciate any assistance!
