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LOCAL STUDENTS ATTEND INAUGURATION
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By Pillar Stennis & Jackson Leipzig
Pilgrim S
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ST. JAMES’ sixth graders and teachers attended the inauguration and toured the capitol.
SIXTEEN STUDENTS from Pilgrim School traveled to Washington to witness President Obama’s inauguration.
I was one of sixteen students who had the honor of traveling to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of Barack Obama. My fellow classmates and I had known about the trip for several months, but what made it so exciting was that we would be witnessing history. Inauguration day would be the culmination of hundreds of years of struggle for African Americans, and I felt proud to be able to be a part of it all.
On the morning of the inauguration we woke up at 4 a.m. and walked two miles before we reached our final destination on the Mall. The temperature was near freezing, but we were so excited we hardly noticed the chill in the air. The crowd was amazing, full of anticipation, and I overheard many conversations as people around me expressed how incredible it was that our country had made it this far. When the ceremony began, I was anxious to hear Barack Obama and Joe Biden speak. As President Obama spoke I looked at the faces around me. People were moved beyond words as tears of joy and relief came down their faces. Hope was in the air!
I feel so fortunate that I was able to experience this historic event. Attending the inauguration made me realize that I live in a wonderful country that is definitely moving forward. Also, as a result of my trip to Washington, I now have a better understanding of our political process. I had the trip of a lifetime, and I will never forget it.
By Jackson Leipzig
St. James' School, 6th Grade
More than one year ago, St. James’ technology specialist, Laura Hollis, conceived of a plan so powerful that it would change the lives of many students and the wider St. James’ community for years to come.
The plan became a reality when former St. James’ student Tommy Newman, assistant to the national finance director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, came up with tickets to the inauguration.
From January 16 to 21, nine sixth grade students, dubbed “The St. James’ Press," videotaped, tape recorded and wrote about the inauguration of President Barack Obama, all from our nation’s Capitol. Students Samara Kannike, Stella Banderas, Jackson Leipzig, Jackson Crites, Madeleine Miller, Bryanna Lee, Blaine Williams, Chris Han and Danica Kim were supervised by mastermind, Laura Hollis as well as Mark Shamoon (media assistant) and Tamera Brown (physical education).
Here is the schedule of our historic journey, a “green” one using only public transportation:
Sat., Jan. 17
St. James’ Press visited the Newseum, a museum devoted entirely to news and media, where we took part in a hands-on activity in which we created venues for four different Presidential candidates rally speeches. That evening the “Press” covered the Honoring Our President-Elect (HOPE) Inaugural Youth Ball.
Sun., Jan. 18
The “Press” took a tour of The Washington Post. We were inspired as we walked the same halls as Woodward and Bernstein. In the early afternoon, the group interviewed Paul Westpheling, senior reporter of “The Voice of America,” and learned about radio broadcasting around the world. Later that day, we received a private tour and seminar with Tony and Jonna Mendez of the Spy Museum. The students went on to visit the National Portrait Gallery.
Mon., Jan. 19
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the “Press” had the thrill of a lifetime when we were invited to a special breakfast where we met and shook hands with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and had the extra bonus of meeting and shaking hands with President Bill Clinton, as well. After this exciting morning, the “Press” had a tour of C-SPAN and met with VP of Education, Joanne Wheeler. Then we rushed off to our next exciting tour and meeting, this time with NPR reporter Robert Siegel of “All Things Considered.” The day concluded with a breathtaking nighttime tour of the Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam and Roosevelt memorials.
Tues., Jan. 20
The “Press” awoke at 3 a.m. to begin our journey to the inauguration, and after standing in line for six hours, with temperatures in the teens, the students’ “purple tickets” were taken, we walked onto the lawn below the balcony of the capitol and witnessed history as Barack Obama took the oath of office. The students were moved beyond words and filled with love of country as they participated in this great moment. Then it was off to Mrs. Hollis’ parents’ home for some warmth and a wonderful dinner. From the living room, we then had a video chat session with our friends back in Los Angeles! The school auditorium was filled with students from kindergarten through sixth grade, faculty, staff and parents.
On the video chat, the Los Angeles audience watched a music video montage sent from D.C. and then the St. James’ Press gave a brief itinerary of our trip. We also had a Q&A session during which the kids at home in L.A. asked questions about the trip. It was a monster success with those on both the East and West Coast.
Wed., Jan. 21
The “Press” took one last tour as we visited Henninger Media, where many of the presidential candidates compiled their various campaign commercials. Then, with mixed emotions, we said goodbye to Washington D.C., but many of us knew this wouldn’t be our last trip to our nation’s capital.
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