Two students from Crofton and Marrama elementary schools are in New York City to view the damage at Ground Zero after being selected by Whose Magazine for the trip. The pair is engaging with volunteers, firemen, youth and dignitaries on their thoughts following the tragedy and on the topic, "What is the Human Spirit?"

Joanna Foote (Crofton) and Shavonne White (Marrama) are accompanied by their teacher Nadine Ritchotte of Crofton. Their assignment is to spend a day as journalists recording interviews, keeping a journal and taping footage for a news show. Also involved are critical thinking and problem solving skills of managing a budget for the trip and planning routes to travel to and from interviews, the airport and the hotel.

Crofton Elementary School (2409 Arapahoe St.) will be holding an assembly upon their return, Friday, December 7th at 11:00 a.m. in the gymnasium. Students at Crofton will get to hear the girls' experiences first hand.

"We want all our students to benefit from such real-life learning experiences," said Crofton Elementary School Principal Dr. Diana Howard. "They can have life-focusing significance."

A third student, Yvonne Smyer of Prairie Middle School in Cherry Creek will be doing background research here in Denver. Articles written by these young reporters will appear in the current and January issues of Whose Magazine.

This extraordinary experience is sponsored by The Entertainment Project, Inc., a non-profit organization that has four programs with a mission to increase literacy by using real-world experiences, workshops in the performing arts, and print and broadcast journalism.