Senior Class Trip

The Class of 2014 at our NYC public high school is planning a senior trip to the Poconos, PA to celebrate their hard work over four years at our small honors high school. Funding for the trip is extremely tight due to both budgetary constraints and low average family income. Ideally, every student in the Class of 2014 would be able to attend this memorable trip to close their high school experience. We need your help making this happen!

Let me tell you a bit about our school and what makes this graduating class so special. Our school is a public city h.s. with a diverse student body from all 5 boroughs and myriad walks of life. 66% of our students receive free or reduced lunch, which means they live at or below the poverty level. Our attendance and graduation rates are 99% each year. Our kids are amazingly diligent workers, deep thinkers and emerging leaders. We strive to prepare them for the challenges of the world beyond our walls, and the Dept. of Ed. seems to think we are doing a good job, as they award us a grade of A each and every year. 

I have taught many of these students 3 years in a row, which is an unusually fortunate honor. I have watched them learn-- and redesign-- the ropes. In their freshmen year, they started a hip-hop club, a fencing league, a gaming organization, and a debate team. As sophomores, they collected thousands of books to donate to schools in developing West African nations, working tirelessly as a team to make a difference. As juniors, more than half of them enrolled in AP classes, pushing their ability and knowledge to new collegiate levels. This year, as they apply to college, this exceptional group of athletes, actors, film-makers, rappers, writers, environmentalists and social activists prepares to graduate. Please help them celebrate by donating to their senior trip, so they can enjoy the fruits of their labor. They deserve it.

I truly mean it when I say that this group of kids has changed my life and taught me a great deal through their passion, kindness and determination. Help change their lives! Thank you.