ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Asheville Middle School eighth graders are fundraising for their annual trip to Washington, D.C. via two musical methods.
AMS 8th grade social studies teacher Joe Hooten is spearheading the two-pronged fundraising effort.
“Sunday, January 19 at the Grey Eagle we are hosting Coverfest IV. This benefit features 10 local bands that are playing mini-sets, like 30 minutes each, of covers,” Hooten said. “Usually they pick a genre or an artist to cover and 100% of the ticket proceeds go to funding scholarships or, in other words, financial assistance requests from our students.”
Hooten speculated that the financial impact Hurricane Helene continues to have on the region has led to nearly 40% of the 8th grade students seeking help with financial aid for the trip.
“The second portion of this fundraiser is an online auction. It’s a silent auction that’s going on right now,” Hooten said. “I reached out to national and regional musical acts to see if they would donate rare or exclusive items and, thankfully, a ton of them responded and have sent a ton of great stuff.”
The auction is open now and will close at noon on Monday, Jan. 20.
National artists like R.E.M., Wilco, Neko Case and Dawes have all contributed items to the auction, among dozens of other acts. One band, Goose, decided to donate a monetary donation instead in conjunction with a nonprofit group called Conscious Alliance.
“They don’t want me to say what the actual amount was, but it is super substantial. It is the biggest monetary donation I’ve ever received for anything,” Hooten said. “It was such a cool thing that they did that.”
Hooten will be performing at the Grey Eagle himself as a member of the punk band Pinkeye. He would not reveal what artist the group will be covering, but hinted that they toyed with performing songs by The Velvet Underground and Violent Femmes.
When it comes to the Washington D.C. trip, Hooten sees it as an important right-of-passage for his 8th grade students.
“Whether they retain anything from this trip or not, just to be able to go and see the Capitol, or the White House, or the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, these are really impactful moments with these kids, and I think it’s really going to have a huge impact on their outlook on what’s beyond Asheville. I really do firmly believe in this event. I think it’s just a totally worthwhile thing,” Hooten said.
“There’s a lot of kids that this is the first time being away from home. These kids are going to be gone for four days and three nights,” Hooten said. “Just to be able to see the history and witness the government working firsthand, I think all those elements are super important.”
For more information about the trip and its fundraisers, visit the Asheville Middle School Facebook page.