Ascencion Solorsano Middle School sixth graders are putting on
their thinking caps to come up with ideas for raising the $75,000
it will take to send about 375 students to science camp.
Ascencion Solorsano Middle School sixth graders are putting on their thinking caps to come up with ideas for raising the $75,000 it will take to send about 375 students to science camp.
With the largest sixth grade class yet and many families unable to afford the $250 tuition, Principal Sal Tomasello said this year’s fundraising effort will have to be stronger than ever, because if every student can’t go, no student can go. According to district policy, field trips held during regular school hours must include all eligible students and cannot exclude any student for lack of funds. This year’s camp, at Mission Springs Conference Center in Scotts Valley, takes place May 24 to 28.
“It’s an equity issue,” Tomasello said.
In the past, the school never denied a child from attending camp, whether they could pay or not, Tomasello said. But even bringing in a check upfront for tuition won’t guarantee that a child can go. Tomasello and school staff are encouraging students to go above and beyond, even if they do have the means to pay their own way.
“There’s more than just taking care of yourself,” said Parent Club President Jim Shuster. “Help your friends. Just because you met the $250, don’t stop.”
Brandon Ellemberg didn’t.
Even though his parents already wrote a check for his science camp tuition, Ellemberg created a Web site to help spread the word to the community.
“I just felt like I needed to help those kids who can’t raise that money,” Brandon Ellemberg said. “Some of my friends weren’t going. I just wanted to help them go on this fun trip. The seventh and eighth graders said it was a lot of fun.”
Ellemberg also said he didn’t want his to be the first sixth grade class to miss the trip.
“He’s a chip off the old block,” joked Brandon’s father, Steve Ellemberg, who helped his son set up the site. “I loved the idea.”
Though he understands the need for the district’s policy, especially during tight financial times for many families, “I can’t say I agree with it,” Steve Ellemberg said. Still, he and his wife have always encouraged their son to think outside the box to solve problems.
“If you don’t have it, you fundraise for it,” he said.
Shuster agreed that the district’s policy is a sticky subject but said that was beside the point.
“What about the child who comes from a broken home,” he said. “Is it fair that that kid doesn’t get to go? He didn’t chose that life. It was chosen for him. He deserves to go.”
The Parent Club also has a Web site where community members can make donations. Steve Ellemberg said he helped his son set up their site so that it linked directly to the Parent Club’s Web site.
The school has to be “very careful about being politically correct,” Tomasello said. “We have to be very careful about how we word this. We don’t want to put undue pressure on a family. Times are tough right now.”
Tomasello said he has studied alternatives to the current itinerary such as going during vacation or on a weekend.
“We just don’t get the same level of commitment that way,” he said.
He credited the yearly trek into the Santa Cruz Mountains with the success of his school’s science program.
“A lot of sixth graders come to us from elementary school with little exposure to science,” he said. “Camp is a great reward for our sixth graders for getting through their first year of middle school.”
Students have to bring in at least $50,000 in direct donations by Nov. 30 for Tomasello to sign the contract. The Parent Club hopes to raise the difference by spring. If, for some reason, the school cannot raise the funds to take every child, parents will be refunded their donations, Tomasello said. But parents and Tomasello said they hope this won’t happen and that the community will be able to send every student to camp.
“We don’t leave children behind,” Shuster said.
Help students out
You can make donations for the trip at asmsparentclub.com. Click ‘buy online’ at the top right. Or visit Brandon Ellemberg’s site at sciencecamp.gilroypromo.com.
