Students Join Nation In Welcoming New President
District students were watching as Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. The historical significance of the moment was not lost on sixth graders watching the televised Inauguration at McKinley Middle School.
“To be able to watch this historical event at school and to see the first black President of the United States was just amazing,” said one student.
“It is awesome!” exclaimed another.
President Obama took the oath of office on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inaugural in 1861. The nation’s first African American president, then spoke to a diverse crowd of people packed on the National Mall from the Capitol to beyond the Washington monument.
“This makes me feel like we have overcome racism in our country,” noted another student.