Although they continue
to raise funds, these
students have still not
met their financial goal
and the bookings must
be made soon. If you
are interested in help-
ing these students
achieve their dream,
please contact:
Valentine Travel Class
sponsor Sara Ranzau
[email protected]
Mail donations to
Valentine Travel Class,
Valentine ISD,
PO Box 188,
Valentine, TX 79854 or
call (432) 467-2671.
Costa Rica trip 2012, left to right: 2 Daniel Garnsey, Nicole Campbell, Adriana Rangel, Cayenne Webb, Kimberly Morton and Aaron Morton
their responsibilities in the classroom,
it is also a way to help them learn the
value of truly working toward a dream.
Rye Webb, junior and current mem-
ber says, “I am very excited for the trip
because it will pay off all the hard work
we put in to the past two years of rais-
ing money.”
The students have to work together
in a variety of situations and become
more of a family than just teenagers
doing a fundraiser. There have been
tears of joy and stress, sweat from the
physical effort of preparing and serving
the annual Valentine Homecoming
lunch and dinner, and even a little
blood while the students learned to
properly use knives in the kitchen or
work the pin at a roping. Current
member and junior Latham Garnsey
sums up his experience simply, “I have
enjoyed working with my fellow travel
class members. Our hard work will pay
off, and we will have a great time.”
Events are not always “work;” they
are often filled with laughter and joy as
the students and sponsors interact with
the community and develop stronger
relationships with one another. “I like
doing travel class because I get to work
with and get closer to my classmates. I
get to help out the community in some
way, and I get to work on my social
skills,” says current member and sen-
ior, Maria Borunda.
Each event has also become impor-
tant to the close-knit and incredibly
supportive community of Valentine.
An annual tradition, Travel Class
members sell, bake and deliver pies for
the holidays. At every home basketball
game, Travel Class members, sponsors
and supporters can be found cooking
hamburgers for the fans. For many
members of the community, the
chance to share a meal with the stu-
dents and see them working for a goal
is rewarding. “Being in Travel Class is
a great opportunity especially since we
live in a small town. Ever since I was
little, I always dreamed of traveling to
Europe and now my dream is becom-
ing reality.” For current member and
junior Gabriela Tarango, she is close
to fulfilling a life goal.
They work for two years to reach
their dreams and they understand that
every hamburger and raffle ticket sold,
every Valentine and Mother’s Day
dinner, every pie made during the hol-
idays, every hot day of working at rop-
ings, and every basketball game they
work means they are one step closer to
their dream trip. “I'm super excited
about our trip and I can't wait for sum-
mer to get here. I have no idea what to
do over there, but I'm trusting that our
sponsors will make sure it is fun. All I
know, is that I want to have tons of fun,
and I want to have the best time of my
life,” says current member and junior
Enrique Navarrete.
For six high school students it is not
always a clear path to raise money.
Since the school is so small and cur-
rently only has the high school boys’
basketball team, they have had to
become creative in fundraising ven-
tures. Raffles are a normal part of rais-
ing money and in the fall of 2013 the
group raffled off a Brangus Heifer, cus-
tom etched drinking glasses, and any-
thing else they felt could make money.
They also held a bake sale in Ft. Davis,
raising over $900. The students, par-
ents and Valentine community came
out in force with many community
members donating items. “This com-
munity never fails to amaze me in their
support and endless giving for the stu-
dents,” sponsor Sara Ranzau said of
the backing the Travel Class receives
from members of the community.
Cenizo
The parents and supporters of
Travel Class also see the benefits of the
experience for the students of
Valentine. "In a remote little town off
the beaten path in West Texas, our
kids who participate in the Travel
Class have an awesome opportunity to
travel and see the world,” Bill Hoff said
of his time working with the students.
These students are learning things they
cannot learn from reading, sitting in a
classroom, or listening to someone
else's stories. They are learning to
stand on their own feet and face disap-
pointments and unexpected joys with
their heads held high. “Valentine is
blessed to be able to have this opportu-
nity for the students, because it really is
a once in a lifetime experience,” says
2012 trip member Nicole Campbell.
First Quarter 2014
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