Sunday, March 16, 2014

Forest Hills High School Students Need Your Help

Please consider donating to a group of local Forest Hills High School students who recently won a statewide competition and now have the chance to go to Washington in April to compete nationally. The only problem is, the school doesn't have the $40,000 it needs to send them to the national competition so it has asked for all of our help. I was recently contacted by Forest Hills High School's assistant principal asking if I could help spread the word about this. Here are all the details:

The Forest Hills High School “We the People” team has won the New York State Championship for a second year in a row!!

This hardworking group of students, guided by a dedicated teacher, delves into the origins, structures and current workings of our government and become experts on the Constitution. The units of study include the philosophical and historical foundations of United States government, how the Constitution was created and how it has been amended to meet the needs of a changing nation, how the values and principles in the Constitution have shaped American institutions and practices, the rights protected by the Bill of Rights and the challenges facing American Constitutional democracy in the 21st century. The students deliver one of three different four minute speeches focusing on the specific topics ranging from the Constitutional Convention to the inner workings of government structures to the impact that everyday citizens can make in our democracy. They then face a series of questions from esteemed judges for another six minutes. This is exactly the kind of in-depth program we want our students in- one that challenges them to be their best.

Thirty three students now have the chance to compete at the National “We the People” competition in Washington DC. This is something a New York City School has done only seven times since 1988. This is an honor that our students have worked hard to achieve and they deserve to be there. If you could sit with them and listen to and speak with them, you would be so impressed! As a New Yorker, I am proud they will be representing us in the championship. The students, along with the top team from each of the fifty states and US territories will spend five days in the nation’s capital debating a new set of questions. They will compete throughout these five days, but will also go to meetings and on tours with their peers from around the nation, an experience we know will expose them to new ideas from different people and which will allow them the chance to interact with the elected officials they study every day in school.

We are now faced with the task of raising the funds to send these hard working, intelligent young men and women to DC. The trip is invaluable, but it does have a cost- $40,000. The program was funded by the United States Congress for the past 25 years, until last year, when it was zeroed out of the budget because it was deemed an unnecessary earmark. One of the questions this year focused on the concept of active citizenship, which our students saw as a remedy for cynicism; their speech talked about instances where individuals or groups seek to do what is best for the common good, in order to exude the civic virtue our founders felt so necessary in a republican government. That is why we are seeking funds from a variety of public and private sources. We believe in the ability for our community to come together and support our students. It is a critical responsibility of citizenship and vital for our future.

It is often said that those between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four are apathetic towards government and civics in general. We have a chance to help a group of students shatter that stigma, to send them to our nation’s capital and represent Forest Hills, New York City and New York State. We invite you now to become a part of that team, stand with your community and support the students.

If you like to make a donation, please make checks payable to Forest Hills High School. If you need more information about how to make a corporate or other donation, or would like more information, please contact Carrie Sanchez, Assistant Principal Social Studies at 718-268-3137, ext. 3810 or csanche14@schools.nyc.gov. Thank you for any support you can give!

18 comments:

  1. No fund raisers? Bake sales, car washes....something. Kids also need to learn that it's good to earn the money for these trips, I would be more inclined to donate if I saw some evidence that the kids were working toward this goal rather than expecting the money to be gifted to them. I know that entitlement gets thrown around a lot at the youth of today but this is a blatant example of it. I went to Catholic school and I attended with kids who worked to pay the tuition themselves, they worked to pay for any trips they took....why isn't that at play here? This is a horrible example to set for our students, your community doesn't owe you a trip to Washington, no matter what it's for, the students owe it to themselves to work out a way to raise the money.

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    1. Boy that's a lot of anger without knowing all the facts. For all we know, they tried the fundraising route and already accumulated 10k, still leaving them with 40k to go. This isnt' a typical fundraiser where you can have a bake sale to make $200 for a Great Adventure trip.

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    2. It's like saying smart kids don't deserve their academic scholarships because they did not get a job at McDonald's to pay for school. These kids worked hard to win the statewide competition and receive an invitation to Washington. Personally, I would rather have these kids spend their time getting ready for the competition than bake cookies (you need an insane amount of cookies to bake to get to the $40,000 goal in about two weeks anyway) and whatnot just to get to Washington. These kids already proved their worth, and we as a community should do our part to make sure these kids represent Forest Hills well.

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    3. The article says that funds are being sought from a variety of public and private sources. For all we know, that "variety" includes parents and relatives, as well as fundraisers. Also, the event was held in early March and the next phase of the competition will be held in late April. It's not exactly the same thing as knowing you will be going to school from year to year, or knowing that there will be a senior trip to earn money for.

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    4. I'm sure they are fundraising themselves, too... it would take an awful lot of cookies to raise that kind of money. Have a heart. They're kids. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to the community for support.

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  2. I'm sure some of these students have well-to-do parents who could write a few checks in support...

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  3. They really should make a page on GoFundMe. Then we could all promote it on FaceBook and they should be able to raise the funds.

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  4. They really should go to "GoFundMe" and set up a page, give us the url and we could promote it on Face Book. I send an email to that effect to the address above. Will let y'all know if I get a reply.

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  5. Flame away, but I totally agree with the above comments regarding these students asking their parents for help, or, if their families cannot afford to give them the money, then they themselves should be working for it as opposed to asking for donations. There are much worthier causes to give money to, people that are actually in desperate need of food, medical supplies, and shelter....not a trip to Washington. And yes, there is nothing wrong with baking, washing cars, and working at McDonalds, that way these kids will develop a sense of pride and value the money they earn as opposed to asking for charity and handouts.

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    1. Good luck raising the 40k needed just from the activities you mentioned. If you were honest with yourself and all of us, you probably can't say you didn't go through life with any help at all.

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  6. with that logic we should stop sending athletes to the Olympics as well. you make it sound like these kids are moochers when in fact they have accomplished something to get an invitation to Washington. this is not a class field trip to Washington. this is a national competition that these kids train hard for.

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  7. 33 students plus several chaperones is close to $1,000 a person for 5 days. The competition is described in the post as "The students deliver one of three different four minute speeches focusing on the specific topics ranging from the Constitutional Convention to the inner workings of government structures to the impact that everyday citizens can make in our democracy. They then face a series of questions from esteemed judges for another six minutes."
    I guess the fair question is do they really need all 33 students to participate in the competition? Without knowing more, it seems more like it'll be a big party of supporters for a few actually participating but I'm just guessing. Maybe someone can shed some more light on how many are actually competing on behalf of the school.

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  8. 40 thousand bucks for a school trip? wow. thats a lot of money. i wish them luck though. can't help but think 40 grand could help a lot of families in need, or life saving medical expenses for the ill.

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    1. I totally agree! Add to that the help that so many impoverished elderly in our community need as well. If for whatever reason they don't raise enough money for this trip, let's hope the young people show some compassion to those in need and donate the funds forward to a worthy cause.

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  9. Has anyone heard of video conferencing?

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  10. The Forest Hills High School "We the People" Team has successfully raised $40,000 to go to Washington D.C. They are grateful for all the support that was shared and thanks everyone who donated and helped get them this far.

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    1. Glad to hear they were able to raise funds to go to Washington. Good luck to them and we hope we get an update on how they did. Lovely time to be in Washington too with the cherry blossoms in full bloom!

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    2. They did not win in their time in D.C however they are grateful to everyone who helped them have an experience of a lifetime. Seeing cherry blossoms, monuments, memorials, and even being able to go to Capitol Hill is expected to be life-changing.

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