Kids and Parents Talk about Obama's Inauguration

David Grandison, a senior producer at Scholastic, spoke with kids and their parents at President Barack Obama's inauguration. He wanted to find out what being at the inauguration meant to them.

Delaware Eighth Graders' Moment in History

By Isaac Fields

Wow, What a day. You could feel the energy even before you could tell what was coming. The day started at 4 o’clock in the morning. We had a pretty early morning. After we could tell that we were awake we showered and got dressed. By 4:30 everyone was awake and I know that I was waiting in suspense for what would be happening in just 8 hours. Our parents/teachers came to get us around 5 o’clock and that is when we went to eat. For some that might not have been early but for me who could sleep all day it was. Breakfast wasn’t nearly as loud as it was the day before. We were the only people up besides a few others. I overheard the desk clerk say that the rush was around 2 o’clock for them and that the mall was already filling up.

We all got on the bus at 6:00 and were in the Metro line at 7:00. WOW! What a line. The station line was all the way into the parking garage next door. Good thing the line moved fast though. It took us forty minutes to get through the line. There were people passing out flyers in the 20degree weather. Most people just walked by them. The Metro ride itself was horrible. A normal 35 minute ride took us about 90 minutes. Luckily I didn’t take too much notice of the time. The car was very crowded by the second stop.

When we finally got to our stop at L’Enfant Plaza the train was so crowded that we had to push and shove just to find the door. The station itself was just jam- packed and some of the exit gates weren’t working. People were chanting, “I say O you say bama.” It was hectic trying to find a way out of the station. We walked a long way down the Mall until we were almost to the Washington Monument. We finally found a place to get in. We had a hard time seeing the jumbotrons because of the angle and the crowds. The guys in our group were lifting girls up and putting them on their shoulders so they could see. We couldn’t even see the Capitol Building. People covered every part of the mall. We couldn’t see Obama of course but we could hear him. After his speech we left and walked back across the Potomac to the Arlington Cemetery to catch the Metro to Pentagon City where our bus could pick us up for the ride home.

The class also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Get their account of the ceremony here. Get more about the class Inauguration trip here.

Delaware 8th Graders Lay Wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns

By Neallie Payne

The wreath laying ceremony was a great honor. To get on this trip to Washington DC you had to write an essay explaining why you wanted to be a part of history and attend the Inauguration.

The top four essay writers were given the opportunity to lay a wreath. I and three others were chosen. Not everything went exactly on schedule, when we arrived we watched as the president elect (at the time) drove past us waving out his window, and we waited about a half a hour for Vice President Joe Biden to leave the cemetery.

I didn’t mind though, it was cool to know that I was going to lay a wreath right after Barack Obama and Joe Biden did. The ceremony was very nice, though it was cold.

The soldiers at the tomb take their job very seriously; they are extremely precise on their marching and can be very intimidating.

The four of us went into a room and got instructions on what to do, I was very nervous that I would mess up. Their instructions were very precise too, such as, march to the top of the stairs and when signaled, step with your left foot and walk slowly down the stairs.

Much to my relief none of us messed up. As the trumpeter played Taps I looked out over the still, silent grounds of Arlington and felt very proud that I was helping pay tribute to those who have fought and died for our country.

Photos: At top, the group of 8th graders from the Brandywine School District in Delaware. Left, soldiers lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. Both photos courtesy Brandywine School District.

Read more about the class Inauguration trip here.

No Rest For the President

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What do you think are the most important issues confronting America? What would you like to see President Barack Obama accomplish during his time in the White House?

Photo: Charles Dharapak/AP Images

Delaware 8th Grade Class at Inaugration

A group of more than 20 8th graders from Brandywine School District in Delaware are on a three-day trip to Washington DC. Students wrote essays on why they wanted to be a part of history in order to be considered for the trip. In DC, they attended the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, visited to the Dulles Air and Space museum, enjoyed the pre-inauguration concert, and, of course, experienced the Inauguration itself.

Here's the first of their first-person Inauguration Day blogs.

Today was a very fun and tiring day for us all!  First of all, we had to wake up before the sun was even out which is totally outrageous.  Then we were on the bus for about 2 hours before we arrived at the Metro Station.  We got to use these cool Obama cards to get past the turnstiles, so we could get on to the Metro.  The Metro is really fun and fast!  Let’s just say you don’t want to be standing up on it while it is moving, without holding onto a pole.

After the Metro ride, we arrived at the Pentagon building.  To our surprise, we found out that you are not allowed to take pictures of the Pentagon because it is a Federal offense.  Right next to the Pentagon is the 9/11 Memorials. The memorials are amazing!  They have the names of the people who unfortunately passed away on 9/11.  It is nice to know that we all have not forgotten them and we do things such as make beautiful memorials for them.

After we went to the memorials, we used our awesome Obama cards to get back onto the Metro.  The Metro took us to Arlington.  We went to the Arlington National Cemetery.   Also, during our time in Arlington, we saw President-Elect Barack Obama in his limo!  Wow, talk about a lot of security and bodyguards!

During the trip to Arlington Cemetery, we got to go into the Arlington House, also known as the Robert E. Lee Memorial.  It is so cool seeing how the houses were made back then. One interesting thing was that the mother delivered 6 of her 7 children in her bedroom Chamber.  Robert E. Lee wasn’t all that into the whole slavery thing.  He actually let his slaves have many rights such as get married.

After that experience, we went to see the Changing of the Guard Ceremony and the wreath-laying ceremony.  First of all, it was unbelievably cold!  Seriously, we cannot even begin to tell you how cold it was!  Anyway, at the Changing of the Guard ceremony, it was amazing how precise they did everything!  Even when they walked or turned, they made their cool shoes make this cool clacking noise!

Then, we saw the wreath laying ceremony.  Our school was the first to go.  As a matter of fact, four members of our group laid the wreath.  Finally, it was time to get on the Metro to go back to Pentagon City to defrost and eat lunch at the mall.  Our group had Chinese and pizza.  It was delicious!  It really hit the spot.

Then, we shopped at the mall and bought some really cool stuff!  After we shopped till we dropped, we got on the bus to the hotel to check in and chill out for awhile.  Then we went to dinner.  It was very good. 

Finally, we had an pool party.  Although most of the people took up the pool playing water polo, it was still fun.  Now, we are locked in our hotel room watching TV and eating yummy snacks.  Well, now we just have to wait until tomorrow to see what awesome adventures lie ahead.  

--8th grade students Chelsea White, Neallie Payne, Molly Shustack, and Chrysanthe Christo contributed to this report.

Read more about the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns here.

Inauguration Day

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Michelle Obama Issues a Call to Service

Video courtesy USAService.org via YouTube

In 1983, President Ronald Regan declared the third Monday of January an official holiday to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King. Many people began celebrating by participating in volunteer activities on the holiday. In 1994, Congress officially declared the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday a national day of community service.

This year, Martin Luther King Day falls one day before the historic Inauguration of the first African-American President of the United States.

President-elect Barack Obama has issued a national call to service that he hopes will reignite Americans’ commitment to serve others. Obama and his wife, Michelle, are asking people to make January 19 the first of many days they will spend volunteering in their communities.

To help individuals organize service events on the King holiday, the administration launched USASERVICE.org. This Web site will also help people find volunteer opportunities in their communities.

Kids are welcome at any of the service events. If you’re under 16, you have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If you can’t spend Monday at a volunteer event, you’ll be able to find future events on the USA Service Web site soon.

A Legacy of Service

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Do you volunteer in your community? What do you do? Do you think volunteering and community service are important? Why?

(Above: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo: Bob Adelman/Magnum Photos)