Paso Robles eighth graders need business sponsors for East Coast trip 

Two Paso Robles middle school teachers are hoping to jumpstart an annual East Coast trip for local eighth graders—complete with stops at the U.S. Capitol and Broadway in New York City—but they need the community's help to do it.

Mallory Spann, an English teacher at Flamson Middle School, recently issued a call-out to the local business community asking for sponsorships to support the 33 prospective students on the trip.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Wikicommons
• EAST COAST EXPERIENCE Eighth graders at Flamson Middle School in Paso Robles are looking for local businesses to sponsor them on an educational trip this June to Washington, D.C., and New York City.

"Students from Paso Robles have been given the opportunity to take a life-changing trip to Washington, D.C., and New York City in June of 2023," Spann said in a press release. "This program will build strong community membership and a connection to our values as American citizens. The community is advocating for these students to receive scholarships from businesses within Paso Robles."

Planned through EF Explore America, a private educational tour agency, the trip itinerary includes visits to museums, monuments, and memorials throughout the two cities, as well as stops at other iconic landmarks, like Mount Vernon.

"It's so cool because it's completely inclusive—all of the transportation, travel guides, our entrance fees to museums, as well as a Broadway play in New York City," Spann told New Times. "For a lot of these kids, this is absolutely the trip of a lifetime. We have English learners on this trip, so this is a really big deal for them to be able to assimilate to American values."

The East Coast trip will cost $2,822 per student. Sponsorships are tax deductible as a donation through a local education nonprofit that's aiding Spann and her Flamson colleague, Alexandria Huggins, with fundraising. Interested businesses can reach out to the teachers at [email protected] or (805) 610-9953 for more information.

In exchange for a sponsorship, Spann said businesses will be given shout-outs of appreciation in press releases to local media outlets thanking them for their donation, as well as framed photos of the students on the trip recognizing their contribution.

"We're really trying to make it a big deal for businesses to be recognized. We'll be publicly thanking businesses with as much press as we can get," Spann said.

She added that they are also looking for individual community members to sponsor students for an upcoming cleanup day in downtown Paso, which will help students be able to earn some of the funds for their trip.

Longer term, the teachers said they are interested in making the East Coast tour an annual June tradition for Paso Robles' eighth graders. The entire eighth grade class at Flamson was invited on this inaugural trip, with the head count currently at 33 students.

Considering the challenges for youth these past few years with the COVID-19 pandemic, Spann believes that this type of group travel experience is an incredible opportunity for the eighth graders to get out in the world and visit America's civic and cultural landmarks.

"This age group specifically—with the learning loss and the social-emotional issues they've had to deal with—they've lost a lot that kids their age have normally gained at this point," Spann said. "Having an opportunity to get out and experience culture and community on a larger level, not just here in our small town, but reaching all the way to the Capitol, I think is going to be life changing for a lot of them."

Fast facts

• Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) announced that it has $2.15 million available for customers interested in participating in its Ag Electrification Program. Farmers looking to switch to all-electric equipment—like irrigation systems, tractors, and utility vehicles—will be eligible for rebates supported by the local power entity. 3CE has distributed more than $1.22 million thus far in its Ag Electrification Program history, according to an agency press release. Visit 3ce.org for more details.

• The city of San Luis Obispo received a $6.95 million grant from the California Transportation Commission to make safety improvements along South Higuera Street. Called the Higuera Complete Streets Project, the city plans to add protected bike lanes, pedestrian crossing enhancements, traffic signal upgrades, and measures to reduce illegal speeding along the 2.5-mile stretch of road between Marsh Street and Los Osos Valley Road. Δ

Assistant Editor Peter Johnson wrote this week's Strokes. Email him at [email protected].