With these funds I will...pay for the deposit fee for our airline tickets from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia on the last week of March 2017.

As a teacher of a Fort Lauderdale Title I middle school, I dream of opening the world of possibilities to my students. My school is an urban school with a population of 1038 students, and 95% is African-American, and over 90% of the student body receive free or reduced lunch. According to City-Data.com in the zip code of 33311, the unemployment rate is 22%. I am telling you these stats not for you to feel sorry for my students, but to show you why your help is needed. My students dream of being the first person in their home to attend college, to provide for their family, and make their community better. I want to provide my students with the best education, so they are ready to enter college and graduate. Many of my students come to my classroom reading below their grade level, but yet the state requires them to take a test at the end of the school year, that will count for 30% of their final grade, and they need to pass Civics to be promoted to high school.  And yes, my kids are successful due to creative, engaging lessons in a positive environment, with a sound student-teacher relationship. 

We have been told a picture is worth a thousand words, but a picture does not allow you to touch, smell, or feel the event in the picture. Pictures only tell part of the story, but being part of the sites create a deeper fuller understanding, and become active citizens who will embrace their rights and responsibilities. In Emanuel Leutze painting "Crossing of the Delaware" (1851), my students can see the ice in the river, but can't feel the wind chill, nor can they tell how far it was across the river. My students will need to use more than one thousand words to explain how they walked across the river, with the wind blowing in their faces on a cold March day. 

The trip will have us fly from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia, where we will be met by the Freedom Foundation staff. We will travel by bus to their campus on Monday, March 27. We will stay in their dorms and have  meals provided by the on-site staff. The educational director will use the Florida standards, to ensure the lessons will enrich my students learning. We will see some of the most important historic sites of the area. In Philadelphia you will visit sites such as Washington’s Crossing, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, National Constitution Center, and Washington’s Headquarters at Valley Forge.  We will visit an Amish farm, where lunch will be provided in their tradition. This is an experience that my students could not be part of in Fort Lauderdale. In the evening, my students will be part of the living history presentations are offered by nationally recognized interpreters of Thomas Jefferson and John Madison, who bring their characters to life and present students with the opportunity to engage some legendary Americans in conversation and activity.

I am excited to give my student this field trip, to open the doors of opportunities. According to the National Education Association (https://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/how-field-trips-boost-students-lifelong-success.htm) field trips boost student success in life. The U.S. Travel Association surveyed 400, and found that those that had traveled in middle/high school had a 95% high school graduation rate, and 65% college graduation rate.  “Field trips give diverse and financially-in-need students equal opportunity to experience things outside classroom that their families may not be able to afford.” A field trip can also be the first trip a student takes without their parents, so it builds independence, as well." 

Freedom Foundation Birth of a Free Nation will cost $775 per student, not including airfare. 

JetBlue Airline has quoted a price of $425 per student, will a $50 non-refundable deposit. 

Here is a link to the Freedom Foundation website- we will part of the Birth of a Free Nation.  http://www.freedomsfoundation.org/history-encounters

Back Up Plan