Nevadans bound for inauguration embrace unprecedented experience

WASHINGTON -- David Preciado, a senior at Moapa Valley High School, has never been east of Utah. His first extended trip will create memories to last a lifetime.

Preciado is among six dozen or so students from Southern Nevada schools who are packing to attend Barack Obama's presidential inauguration on Tuesday, with teachers, parents and school staff.

"I really don't know what to expect," said Preciado, 18, who knows he will see history in the making. "I am excited to hear the speech and just going around Washington, D.C., and seeing the sights."

Five seniors from Moapa Valley High will travel with Keith Cooper, their U.S. government teacher. To prepare, "we have been talking about the elections and how our nation transitions from one president to another," Cooper said.

Jackie Welch-Doubek, the librarian at Mannion Middle School in Henderson, is preparing to attend her fifth presidential inauguration as a trip leader. She was at President Bill Clinton's two swearings-in and then President George W. Bush's two events.

This year, Welch-Doubek has gathered 24 students and 33 parents and school chaperones. She started making plans a full year ahead of time, writing to Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign to ask for inauguration tickets.

The Mannion group got tickets from Ensign. The Moapa Valley High students got tickets from Reid.

"I think it is important to give kids the opportunity to see history in the making, and this is my way to do that," she said. "I have students come back and say, 'Mrs. Welch, I see this stuff on TV, and I have been there. I have been to that.'

"It makes it all worthwhile when kids say that."

A Washington trip is serving two purposes for 17 students from Becker Middle School. The students are members of the school's jazz band, which will compete at a festival in Columbia, Md., on Sunday before attending the inauguration two days later.

Whether Obama won or Sen. John McCain prevailed, the Becker students were prepared for a historic event, band director Jamie Welch said.

"They knew going into the entire activity that they were going to be witnesses to history in the making," said Welch, no relation to the Mannion Middle School librarian. "They knew they were either going to be seeing an African-American president or the first female vice president," that being Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

In September, when third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in the gifted and talented program walked into their classroom at the J. Marlan Walker International School in Henderson, they found it decorated in red, white and blue.

On election night, the students tracked results on Electoral College maps until their bedtimes.

The study course will culminate in a trip to the inauguration for eight of the fourth- and fifth-graders.

"They are really excited," teacher Heidi Zilles said. "I just knew for my students it would be a great experience, and part of the learning for me will be through their eyes."

Twenty-two students from the College of Southern Nevada rented three unfurnished apartments in a Maryland suburb, figuring that would be more economical than hotel rooms for the 12 days they were planning to visit the East Coast.

"We don't have couches, we have air mattresses we are sitting on," said Mark Peplowski, their political science professor, who organized the trip. "I thought about buying a TV, but I didn't. I thought sleep was better than TV."

The students offered to volunteer at events, even if to serve drinks at the balls or usher at one of the inauguration concerts. But with an unprecedented 60,000 people offering to help this year, inauguration planners put the Nevadans on standby.

The Green Valley High School marching band has spent the past several weeks raising money to pay for their trip to Washington, D.C., where they will march in the inaugural parade.

They've performed in front of Wynn Las Vegas and other locales, with passers-by dropping coins and bills into an open tuba case.

The band members' goal was to raise $120,000.

"It's kind of stressful," senior Cheryl McDermott said. "It's been up and down, and I've thought we might not make it."

McDermott and her fellow band members have sought private donations and scooped ice cream at a Ben & Jerry's store to help the cause.

The band was selected by the Inaugural Committee in December to represent Nevada in the parade.

"It's a once in a lifetime experience," director of bands Diane Koutsulis said of the trip her 111 band students will make. "We're all really tired, but it's worth it."

In addition to raising the money, each student and their chaperones had to be cleared by the Secret Service to participate in the parade.

"That was kind of cool," senior Tori Angulo said. "I was hoping there was nothing hidden I didn't know about, but it was OK."

As of Wednesday afternoon, the group had raised $45,000.

The students will have to provide about $600 of their own money to cover the rest of the costs, Koutsulis said.

The school band marched in the 1993 inauguration parade.

Contact Stephens Media Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Contact Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.