By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
Registered voters aren’t the only ones who are excited about President Barack Obama.
Children have also caught Obama fever, with the new president’s young daughters becoming idols to many. Seventh-graders at John Witherspoon Middle School who wrote letters to Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, are dying to know about the lives of the first daughters.
The letters will be delivered through their teacher, Robert Vivens, who attended Princeton University with Michelle Obama’s brother.
”I hope this gets to you,” Duncan Egberts wrote to Sasha. “I wonder what’s your dog’s name? Also what do you like, TV, games, toys and sports?”
In the letters, the children asked about life in the White House and the girls’ choice for a puppy.
”What is the first thing you are going to do when you enter the White House? Do you like it? Or do you ever get lost in it?” Julia Reid asked.
Harmony Kingsley was also curious about the White House.
”Do you have a movie theater there? If I had one in my house, I would be watching it all day long! (Especially my brother!) It must be really neat to be the daughters of the 44th president of the United States!” she wrote.
James Gates said he wished he lived there himself.
”You can have anything you want to eat at any time in the next four years,” he wrote.
Others were wondered what it was like being Mr. Obama’s daughter.
”It must be exciting to have a dad as the president of the USA,” Lily Hyman wrote. “It also must be a little hard at times though too, for it will be hard to be the president. But your dad is going to be a great president.”
Other children in the Princeton area were lucky enough to attend the inauguration.
K. Jason Chu, a sixth-grader from Thomas Grover Middle School in Princeton Junction, wrote a reflection for his teacher, Toni Russo.
”If you saw 3 million people crammed in 61 square miles, you have a good idea on what the 56th presidential inauguration looked like… When the president crossed Independence Avenue, the whole road erupted in cheer,” he wrote.
Melissa Fearon, an eighth-grader at Community Middle School in Princeton Junction, went to the inauguration with her family.
”I think my favorite part of it was just seeing the entire reaction with the crowds as soon as we heard Obama’s speech end,” she said. “Everybody was cheering. It was incredible.”
Chloe Heller, a fourth-grader at Millstone River School, watched from an office building along Pennsylvania Avenue. She was astounded by the number of people in the city, she said.
”That was the most people I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” she said.
Joanne Glover, a fifth-grade teacher at Village School in West Windsor, said her students loved the prayer by the Rev. Joseph Lowery.
”I can’t believe an old, withered man could inspire a million people. Oh, my God! He left America feeling satisfied!” Angela You wrote in a response.
Her students were also surprised by the musicians, she said.
Student Nikhil Modi wrote, “I thought the song Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman played was beautiful… glistening. But, I thought Yo-Yo Ma was a rapper!!”
Lois Huber’s fifth-grade class at Village School also wrote reflections.
”What I think is really important is the way President Obama spoke with such confidence about how he believes that America can fix itself if we work together as one. I think this is important because he is telling us that he alone can’t fix America. He can only guide us forward toward a better world,” student Alex Michalowski wrote.
Catherine Lee said Mr. Obama would unite people.
”President Obama promoted the bringing out of fine qualities in the American people such as peace, hope, contribution and determination… At his old school in Indonesia, people were so eager to watch him that even though it was nearly midnight, children gathered to watch,” she said.
Lily Orlosvsky praised Mr. Obama’s “power of speech.”
”He knows how to inspire others just with words. He believes in challenges that can and must be met. Change has come,” she wrote.
Susanna Kim, a fourth-grader at Millstone River Elementary School in Plainsboro, reflected on the civil rights struggle in the United States.
”Now just take a minute and just think how this country changed through all of these unfortunate times,” she wrote. “After what all of those people did, it teaches us students that if we want to do something, we should go for it. No matter if we are different skin color. Now after what all those people did, I think our country has made history.”
