Glacier High group heads to D.C. to witness history

By KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake

For the last several months, a diverse group of Glacier High School students has shared a common goal.

Some are speech-and-debate team members. Others are in theater, choir or band. There are a handful of jocks in the group, which is made up of sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Together, they've toiled through fundraising efforts that included raffles and long hours in concession stands. On Monday their efforts will pay off. They'll finally be on their way to Washington, D.C., where they will watch the presidential inauguration.

"We're excited," Glacier business teacher and trip adviser Josh Munro said. "We're counting down the hours now."

One student, Justine Klein, was the impetus for the trip. She and some teammates from speech and debate began talking about attending the inauguration while waiting for former President Bill Clinton to arrive at Flathead Valley Community College in May.

"We were the first ones in line, and we were all excited. We really wanted to voice our opinions," said Klein, now a junior. "That's when we started talking about how cool it would be to go to the inauguration."

Klein began researching the trip. She was shopping online for plane tickets when she stumbled across an organization that specializes in school trips.

"I told Mr. Munro to e-mail them, because it had to be a teacher," she said - and then she bugged him every day after school until he e-mailed the company.

In the beginning, it was just a few speech and debate students who planned to attend. When they found out it would cost them each $3,000 unless they had a group of more than 20 students, they opened up the trip to the entire school.

Some may have been deterred by the hard work students had to do before the trip, Munro said. This is finals week, and the students attending the inauguration had to take their tests before they left.

"The semester ends Friday," he said. "We'll be in the Smithsonian at that time."

Some students had until Friday to finish their tests. Speech-and-debate team members left Friday for a two-day tournament in Bozeman; their deadline was Thursday.

"A lot of kids didn't want to put in that much extra work," Munro said.

The students also worked hard on fundraising, he said. They held a couple of raffles, sold things at the Northwest Montana Fair and manned concession-stand counters.

Their hard work was only moderately successful, Munro said.

"We still had to pay a lot out of pocket," he said. "Fifteen hundred dollars - that's a lot when you take into account 32 people.

"We did OK fundraising, but nowhere near where we'd hoped."

For their money, however, the students get five days in Washington, D.C. They will spend Sunday night in Spokane and leave Monday on a 7 a.m. flight.

The students will have a chance to stretch their legs that evening at the National Mall, and with any luck, they'll go to bed at a reasonable hour. Subway stations open at 4 a.m. Inauguration Day, Munro said.

"We'll probably be trying to get on the subway right about that time," he said. "The lines are going to be long."

They secured their tickets for the event this fall, well before the election took place. Sen. Max Baucus' office supplied all their tickets, Munro said.

"They were fairly scarce, but he was able to get us 32 tickets. We're very appreciative of that," he said. "Once we found out that we had to ask senators for them, we hit it up immediately."

After the inauguration festivities, Travel Adventures - the Michigan-based company the students used to plan their trip - is hosting an inaugural ball for high-school students. The dance will take place on a cruise ship on the Potomac River, Munro said.

For their remaining three days in Washington, the Glacier students will go sightseeing. They plan to visit the national monuments by night, "so we can see them under the lights," Munro said. By day, they'll visit the National Archives, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and other D.C. attractions.

There is no consensus about what they're most excited about - which is perhaps no surprise in such a diverse group.

"A kid or two worked for [Barack] Obama's campaign. Some volunteered for Hillary" Clinton, Munro said. "Their primary thing is they're there for the inauguration.

"Others are primarily in it for the trip; they're not as politically motivated. But it's still a unique experience."

It's also unique for Munro, who has never been to Washington, D.C.

"I'm looking forward to just being a part of something like this," he said.

Klein said she is excited about both the political and travel aspects of the trip.

"I've never been farther east than North Dakota," she said. "I want to see how a big city works, and all the politics - just be a part of it."

Glacier High School students attending the inauguration include: Ashley Berger, Taylor Baer, Quinn Maroney, Brianna Walling, Justine Klein, Katlyn Hacke, Kayla Byle, Andrea Ekegren, Rebecca Eisenman, Shelby Deaton, Melanie Lovejoy, Gabby Gunlikson, Isley Boyarski, Jon Hammett, Cory Markellis, LeRoy Doty, Luke Hines, Brandon Simpson, Logan Hendrix, Tucker Connell, Ryan Schlotfeldt, Kyle Kyger, Randy Glasgow, Bryan Edwards, Austin Sabers, Kyle Schmauch, and Spencer Davis.

Four chaperones also are attending: Munro; Steve Hoover, Glacier's school resource officer; Donna Davis; and Wilma Eisenman.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com