Eyes and ears throughout Duval County, as well as the world, will be tuned in to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, January 20, when Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist has encouraged educators around the state to allow students to watch the inauguration. In a letter to Education Commissioner Eric Smith, Crist asked him to encourage schools to take a break from studies on Tuesday, when the Democratic president-elect takes the oath of office.
Teachers throughout the district are preparing their students for the inauguration by incorporating it into their lesson plans.
Seventh-grade language arts teacher Lindsay Layendecker, from Fletcher Middle School, has developed special lesson plans to celebrate both the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and the Presidential Inauguration.
On Tuesday, the day of the inauguration, her students will discuss the civil rights movement, and read clips from Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Tuesday night for homework, students will watch
inauguration coverage on news stations. When they return on Wednesday, they will have to either write a letter to Dr. King to tell him how our country has changed since his speech, or they can write a letter to President Obama addressing his inauguration speech.
"The historical significance of this inauguration together with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was a teachable moment I could not pass up," said Layendecker.
Sharmariton Ashley, a kindergarten teacher at Annie R. Morgan Elementary, did a lesson with her students about the inauguration, and also had them write letters to the future president congratulating him on his new position. On Tuesday, they will be making hats with the slogan "Yes We Can" to wear during the ceremony.
Duval County Public Schools' Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals has encouraged schools, as well as employees in the district office, to watch the inauguration. Departments throughout the district building will have televisions airing the coverage for all interested parties to see.
While many DCPS' students and employees will be watching the inauguration on the television or Internet, a local student and two teachers will be in D.C. during the event.
Mandarin Middle School eighth-grader Bruce Johnson will be attending the inauguration as part of the People to People Student Ambassadors program, while Kanzla Parker, a fifth-grade teacher at Arlington Heights Elementary, along with her friend Cameletha Duncan, a teacher at Fletcher High School, will be attending a presidential inaugural gala.
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