You might remember some of their previous advertising efforts over the last few months, such as a bounce house at Fossil Fest, a gun raffle, or even a beef auction. But what you might not know is that these 8th graders are still working hard in fundraising for their trip to Washington D.C.

And thanks to some astute planning by parent organizers, the students going on the trip have not been content to rest on their laurels, even on weekends. Despite the fact that weekends are nominally a sacred time of rest and recuperation for most students, two students hosted a table for selling baked goods at last Saturday’s Holiday Magic Boutique event at the South Lincoln Training and Event Center.

Of course, the two students weren’t alone: parent Korinne Costello was there to provide guidance and assistance for them. Costello explained that this trip was a yearly occurrence, although it had been canceled last year on account of the pandemic.

“It’s kind of like an 8th grade tradition…it’s a good educational trip kids can take when they’re in 8th grade and have a blast,” she said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students were unable to go last year, so they’re looking forward to being able to go this time around. It’s also worth mentioning that this tradition is an entirely private endeavor, with little to no school support or sponsorship for them. Because of this, the kids have to fundraise in order to pay their way to D.C.

“Each person is roughly between $1,500 to $1,600,” Costello said.

She also estimated that roughly 40 students and interested members of their families are looking to go, bringing the total costs to roughly $60,000 for the whole trip. So far they’ve raised a staggering $40,000 already and are well within reach of their goal. But, as with any trip to the nation’s capital, they are going to need every penny they can get.

In addition, they’ve been working with Educational Travel Consultants, a travel agency based out of South Carolina, who’s helped them plan out a busy list of events, which include common D.C. experiences like taking charter buses to see the sights and visiting monuments or museums.

While they were only there selling baked goods for this particular event, Costello explained that their next fundraising event would be taking place next month through selling ice cream. They’re also still working on lining up their last couple of fundraisers for the final months leading up to their trip, which will be a four-day trip toward the end of March.