Students in the Palmer Junior Middle School leadership class are raising funds to travel this spring to Washington D.C. and New York City, where they plan to visit museums, tour the nation’s capital, learn how government works and take in a Broadway play.
According to Katie Halley, a student in the leadership class, 31 Palmer Junior Middle School eigth-graders with grade point averages of 3.5 or above who are members of National Junior Honor Society will be on the trip.
The group is taking part in Close Up, a national student education program run by a nonprofit organization. According to Halley, the school is the first middle school in the Valley to take part.
The leadership class students are planning several fundraisers to help pay for the trip, including an upcoming Krispy Crème donut sale. The group is taking orders for donuts through Thursday, with delivery planned Feb. 5.
The group is also raising money by running the school concession stand, open during games, and through Dairy Queen, which donates 10 percent of its profits to fund-raisers who sign up. Members have planned a “Service Day” on March 20, during which students will provide massages, food, haircuts, shine shoes and school backpacks for a price. An auction will follow.