'Dressed up nice' & nowhere to go? Everett class field trip comes amid shutdown

EVERETT -- The government shutdown is also breaking some young hearts in Washington state.

Kids at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School in Everett have worked hard this year to raise funds so they could see the nation’s capital on a field trip.

The trip to Washington, D.C., is already paid for, so the eighth-graders will still go -- but most of the things they planned to do are now up in air.

“We are going to be dressed up nice,” said student Dan Haub.

A trip to the nation’s capital is once again a tradition for all eighth-graders.

“I am going to take my iPod so I can listen to music,” Dan said.

Tuesday night, the 14-year-old packed for his trip -- something he and his fellow classmates had to earn.

From the start, it was all-for-one, one-for-all; if one child couldn’t go because of finances, then none of them could go,” said parent Kim Haub.

Not all of the students could afford the expensive experience so the solution was to start a yearlong fundraiser.

“It’s a real success story,” said Kim Haub.

From bingo nights to garage sales, the kids in the end raised $10,000.

“Their feet hurt, they were putting things in people’s cars for them; they were on their feet all day long, as well as parents,” she said.

It all paid off. All 35 of the eighth-graders at the Everett school were all signed up to tour the U.S. Capitol, Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian and a number of other historical buildings.

“A lot of us are excited to see the museums, but, sadly, we won’t be able to see most of them,” said Dan.

“It’s pretty gut-wrenching,” his mother said.

The Haub family and 34 others were glued to the TV Tuesday night, hoping Congress would end the shutdown.

“Until you guys can come up with a solution, you guys don’t get paid,” Kim Haub said, referring to members of Congress.

“Shutting down the government because two sides can’t come to a resolution is just childish,” said Dan.

The 14 year-old says if his classmates can compromise, Congress should, too.

Government shutdown or not, Dan is holding up the tradition.

“My camera can’t forget about that,” said Dan.

They are still going to see what Washington has to offer even if it is from afar.

The kids fly out early Wednesday morning. They will first tour historic sites in Virginia, making their way to D.C by Friday. If the government shutdown is not over by then, the kids will make the best of a bad situation.