Inauguration Fever at PS 8
By Nick Balaban
What a day for the country, the world, and PS 8! Students in grades 1 through 5, teachers and administrators patiently and respectfully watched the screen in the auditorium as the broken stream from the DOE's website's simulcast the Inauguration of Barak Obama. There were cheers for Joe Biden being sworn in as our new vice president (I even overheard a teacher whisper, "Biden is so cool to me, he's such a suave guy..."), cheers for Rick Warren's reference to Obama as the "first African-American President," and even cheers for John Williams' "Air and Simple Gifts" quartet and Aretha Franklin's singing of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." Of course, there was a joyful noise for Obama's close-up before the swearing in, but just after Justice Stevens said, "Congratulations, Mr. President," the auditorium erupted.
Although the new President's speech was not easy for many of the kids to understand at times, even the youngest seemed to respond to Barack's challenge: "Time to dust off and get to work!"
Why were the kids excited about the event? Elijah Spencer was one of many who were happy to have a "mixed Black president. We didn't have that before." Several 4th graders told me they were on the verge of tears. When asked about their hopes for the future, they expressed concerns for improved train stations, buses, and "no more market crashes." When I asked Faris Rassac about his hopes for Obama, he said, "I hope he doesn't die." Third grader Katarina Soto yearns for "security and recycling." Fifth graders Amber, Yvette, Morgan and Najairee are hoping for "change in the community" and affordable healthcare. Najairee is "not just happy about [Obama's] color -- he's smart, experienced, and has patience." Morgan seemed to speak for most of the student body when she said of our new President, "He's like fireworks -- you look up to him."
Posted on: January 22, 2009
