TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals and State Farm are sending 241 kids and 30 teachers from Arizona to Washington D.C. for the Civics Matters Arizona program, the team announced Thursday.
The group will travel on the Cardinals team plane to the nation's capital on June 22 and return to Phoenix on June 25. The students - in grades 9-12 - represent 46 Arizona schools across 20 school districts, 11 cities and four counties.
Civics Matters Arizona focuses on the teaching of American Civics in classrooms with the priority of strengthening education about events such as the Holocaust and the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The state was also the first in the nation to pass the American Civics Act, requiring students to pass the citizenship test before graduation.
“These young women and men have demonstrated the potential to be future leaders of our community and our nation,” said Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill. “We are hopeful this experience and others will result in learning more about the process of government and the role they can play in affecting positive change.”
The students will visit multiple workshops and tour historical landmarks such as Arlington National Cemetery, the National Museum of African American History, and Capitol Hill.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training. sssssssssssss
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