Two Oahu schools are raising money for students to travel to Washington, D.C., to get a close look at how government works.

Both McKinley High School and Waianae Intermediate School will participate in the nonpartisan and nonprofit Close Up program where students across the country travel to the nation’s capital to learn about democracy.

This is believed to be the first time in about 10 years that students from McKinley High and Waianae Intermediate will be participating in the program. The Close Up Foundation’s 40-year program has been in Hawaii since 1985. Travel and lodging costs for each student are about $2,600. So far, students held bake sales and car washes and sold chili tickets to raise money.

Twenty students from McKinley High School are scheduled to visit Washington during spring break.

"It’s a chance of a lifetime for some of these students," said McKinley High teacher Dave Blanchard, who is coordinating the event. Students will talk with lawmakers and visit museums, the Lincoln and World War II memorials and other monuments.

Elten Lau, a counselor at Waianae Intermediate, who is helping to coordinate the event, said they wanted to provide this opportunity for students to expose them to experiences and places outside their neighborhood. Twenty Waianae Intermediate students will also travel to New York to visit the Statue of Liberty before heading to Washington at the end of the school year.

Eighth-grader Cleo Kaakau said she is looks forward to observing members of Congress in action.

Students from McKinley High and Waianae Intermediate are among some 400 students from Hawaii who will travel to Washington for the Close Up program.