A colossal field trip for Denny International Middle School‘s Youth Ambassadors – the report and photos are from principal Jeff Clark:

The Youth Ambassadors had an amazing trip to the Washington State Legislature, State Supreme Court, and the Governor’s mansion.

We were blessed with the critical support of the Seattle Police Department who provided us with free transportation and four amazing officers to serve as chaperones, including the one and only Officer Vargas.

Ms. Lori Markowitz and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility arranged a packed day of meeting with elected officials who carved out time from their busy schedule to meet with us about specific pieces of legislation addressing gun-violence prevention.

Our scholars were amazing representatives and advocates for the Denny community. They were articulate, compassionate, and direct in their communication with the elected officials and staff. It was an unforgettable experience for all who were involved

We were able to meet:

First Lady Trudi Inslee [photo above]
Governor Inslee [top photo]

Representatives: Pollet, Valdez, Fitzgibbon [photo above]

Senators: Saldaña, Nguyen [photo above], Salomon
Office Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI): Marissa Rathbone and Jerry Price

Other highlights were:

Touring Capital
Touring the Governor’s mansion
Observing civic action by WEA. Scholars learned about the McCleary decision from teachers across the state
Observing the budget voting process
One Denny scholar receiving Washingtonian of the Day for her direct and articulate introduction and rationale for our visit

Thank you to Mr. Chase, Ms. Markowitz, and Officer Vargas for making this great experience happen! Go, Dolphins!

Denny’s sent delegations to Olympia before – here’s a report from two years ago.