Dayton Students Raise Money
for Inauguration Trip

A dozen students and three chaperones from Dayton High School will travel to Washington DC to attend Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration

Story and Photo Shelly Franklin

A group of Dayton High School students is gearing up for a truly "once in a lifetime" experience. A year ago, Mary Pryor, DHS's Current World Problems teacher, was approached by then sophomore Devon Strang, who wondered if Mary would consider taking a group of students to the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC in 2009. Mary had made the trip with four students in 2005. So she contacted the Washington Workshops Foundation, who helped with the previous trip. Based upon the positive impression Dayton students had left with the foundation, a group from our school was accepted to participate this historic election year.

The trip's cost for each student will be about $2,200.00. Many of the Dayton students have been saving and working to earn money for the trip all year. They have sponsored car washes, worked at the County Fair, done yard work, sold fireworks and worked in concession stands. This fall, they've raked a whole lot of leaves.

The 2009 Presidential Inaugural Seminar provides a unique opportunity for students to learn more about today's issues firsthand from Executive Branch officials, government organizations and members of the media. The inauguration of our new president is the highlight of a week that will include the Swearing-in Ceremony, Inaugural Parade, and an Inaugural Ball especially for students. It is estimated that 1.5 million people will travel to Washington D.C. for the inauguration.

The group of twelve students and three adults from Dayton will fly into Philadelphia on Friday, January 16th, and spend a day touring that city. They will travel by charter bus to Alexandria, near the Capitol and visit a variety of sites, including the Pentagon, the Capitol Building, and the Smithsonian. They will return the following Friday, January 23rd.

Molly Payne, a sophomore at Dayton High School, is excited about the first stop in Philadelphia. She wants to see the Liberty Bell. "I am so excited about being a part of this historical inauguration. Not a lot of kids get to have this unique experience. I really want to learn about the Capitol," she explains. Molly has been active in Youth and Government and actually argued bills on the Senate floor in Olympia during last year's Youth Legislative Session. Her older sister traveled to the inauguration four years ago and had an unforgettable experience.

Gus Froese, a junior at Dayton High School, loves U.S. History and is just pleased to have the opportunity to see all the places he has read about in class. "I have never been anywhere with that many people together in one place," he says. "I can't imagine how it will be to be part of a crowd of 500,000 people."

It's an exciting opportunity for students to have the chance to take a trip like this. Last year, before the election, the kids were convinced that this was going to be an important event no matter the outcome of the election, and they were right.

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