One school, one president

By Owen Boss
Staff Writer

WILLIAMSBURG - President Barack Obama delivered his back-to-school address Tuesday to a rapt audience of Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School students, many of whom said his words inspired them to work harder - and ask more questions - this year.

And if they'd had the chance, the students would have asked their president a question or two.

Sixth-grader Tori Laverdiere said she would have liked to ask the president what his goals were in school and what compelled him to work so hard.

Zach Dietz, also in sixth grade, said he'd like to know where Obama got the determination to wake up at 4:30 in the morning. (Hilltown students start school at 8:30 a.m.) Obama had explained during his talk how his mother would awaken him at 4:30 a.m. to do his schoolwork at the kitchen table.

Obama's speech was delivered from Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., and aired live on C-SPAN. In the days leading up to the address, conservative groups, parents and teachers criticized the speech, saying it was an attempt to indoctrinate students.

There appeared to be no concerns of that nature at Hilltown.

Amy Aaron, a school administrator, said staff thought it was important that the students hear the president's message as he delivered it, and that they do so as a group.

"We do a lot of things here as a whole school. We all watched the inauguration here as a group," Aaron said. "There is just something about being together, seeing it in real time and having a shared experience when something of national importance is going on."

With the school staff and its 162 students gathered in the school assembly area, Obama took to the podium to say that every single student is special. He also said even if they don't realize it now, the skills they are developing as students will determine their future and the future of the country.

"At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents and the best schools in the world," Obama said. "And none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities."

At one point during his speech, Obama mentioned several students from different parts of the country who overcame harsh odds to become successful professionals. He spoke of his own struggles with education during his childhood.

If there was an underlying message in the president's speech, it seemed to be that students should not give up when they don't accomplish their goals as quickly as they would like.

"Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures," Obama said. "J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, ¿I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.'"

Laverdiere heard that message loud and clear.

"I liked that he said that asking for help doesn't mean you're not smart," she said. "It just means that you have to ask questions and work harder to understand things."

Also moved by the reminder to ask more questions was fellow sixth-grader Renata Pepi, who said she will work harder not to get discouraged when she has trouble understanding something.

"I think it helped me have a different view of school. Sometimes I sit in class and think to myself, 'Wow that was dumb,' but now I won't think like that anymore," Pepi said.

Dietz said Obama's speech helped him appreciate that he will use everything he is learning now in the future, regardless of his career path.

"He pointed out that we learn things in some classes that you won't need right now, but you will eventually need to know those things later on," he said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.