- Ben

From Alaska to D.C.
by Ben Hendler

         When you see somebody working at a snow cone stand, you don’t really think about it very much. The thought of why they would be working there may cross your mind, but most people would just leave it at that. There could be many reasons why that person is working there: as volunteer work, for fundraising, or maybe even for enjoyment. The only way to find out the real reason why is to ask.
         Leia, a thirteen-year-old girl living in Alaska, attends school around Homer, Alaska. Leia moved there from Illinois two years ago. She moved to Alaska because her mom got a new job there.
         Leia was working at the snow cone stand at the local Fourth of July celebration in Homer as a fundraiser. “The eighth grade are going to D.C. this year and we have to make money for it,” Leia said. She does a lot of things to help with the fundraising efforts. “We do bids and coffee. We do a calendar and carwashes, we do a lot of stuff,” Leia said.
All of the eighth grade classes in her school go to the District of Columbia. “It’s an American tour thing,” Leia said. Leia said she didn’t know exactly where they were going yet, but she does think that she will be going to the Smithsonian. “We do a lot,” Leia said. “Pretty much everything.” She did know that she was looking forward to her trip. “I’m really excited,” Leia said.
         Apart from school, Leia’s favorite things about Alaska are “ the views and the summer.” Unfortunately, Leia doesn’t plan on staying in Alaska after she’s done with school. But she has a very legitimate reason why. “It’s too cold here,” Leia said.
         Leia is just a normal Alaskan teenage girl who is helping to fundraise for a school trip. If everything goes well, she will soon enough be having a blast in our nations capitol.