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Obama’s historic election ignites hope in area students
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| Students at The Bearrington School, located at 1250 Texas Parkway share their thoughts on the historic election of Barack Obama. |
By DIANE TEZENO
Less than a week after Barack Obama received the majority of votes in the Bearington School’s mock election, students were ecstatic to watch history in the making as the Illinois senator was elected president.
“I am very excited that he is the very first African-American president in the White House. I know a lot of people didn’t run because they were afraid, but he was very brave and I admire him for what he has done,” 11-year-old, Samina Dunbar said.
Sixth-grader Ariel Rocio said she was happy to see a minority candidate elected as president and believes that Obama’s election will bring more jobs to the country.
Jasmine Brister, 11, expressed her hopes for the newly-elected president.
“He is going to be the 44th president and he is going to be the first black person in the White House and will do great things while he is there,” Brister said.
Fifth-grader student Jonathan Carter echoed his classmate’s hopes and was excited that Obama would now be in school history books.
“Now people won’t have an excuse for saying why they can’t do certain things, and I feel this will be one of the best years ever and some of the best history contributed to the United States,” Carter said.
“A lot of young voters were excited to have the chance to contribute to history, and they knew that every vote counted, which was a good message to get across,” Carter said.
Obama’s victory was also an inspiration to 11-year-old Ariel Rocio, a sixth-grader at the school.
“I feel that I can run for president because Barack Obama did it,” Rocio said of the historic election.
In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 election that brought the U.S. its first African-American president, students participated in an election of their own.
On Oct. 30, students at the Stafford-area school engaged in a mock election that brought the voting and election process to life.
Participants learned about the platforms of each of the presidential candidates and the election process and then stepped up to the voting booth to cast their own votes.
Forty-six votes were cast, with 42 in favor of Obama and four for McCain.
To simulate the real voting process, students were given specially-designed election ballots to mark the candidate of their choice and given time to make their selections in individual voting booths.
“Each student was given instructions for voting and then given the chance to mark their ballots privately and place them in a special box,” Billye Moutra, owner of The Bearrington School, said.
Each vote was counted twice and two of the ballots were thrown out due to errors in marking the ballots, said Moutra of the process.
Moutra said that students learned a lot about the campaign process through the innovative mock election project.
Not only did students vote for the presidential candidates, they voted in sixth-grader Samina Dunbar as president and Asia Goss, vice president of the school said Moutra.
Goss and her sister Aailiyah sent a letter and poems to Obama prior to the election and received a letter from the presidential candidate.
“Creating change and making the world better is not always easy, and you will probably find in your life that it is more comfortable to ignore injustices that don’t affect you directly. Don’t take that comfortable road. Challenge yourself to make a difference,” an excerpt from the letter read.
The Missouri City educator and business owner shared in her students’ excitement.
“I’ve never seen an election as exciting as this one and I have been through a few,” said 53-year-old Moutra.
Moutra was present at the Toyota Center when Obama made his campaign stop in Houston and described his speech as “electrifying.”
“To me he stands for promise for our country, what he believes in I believe it can be accomplished,” Moutra said.
“It won’t be accomplished in a day or in a year, but I believe if we all work together to heal our nation where it does not matter about the color of our skin, but the content of your character, every one can not only live in peace, but be properous,” Moutra said.
Before Obama’s election there were no examples for minority youth of an African American being elected president, said 28-year-old Loretta Moutra.
“You can tell them all the time it is possible, you can do it, you can do it, but without an example, it is difficult,” Moutra said.
“We see that it is possible now.”
Myles Kratzer, a 21-year-old former student of the Bearrington School, in town for a visit to the school, said it dawned on him with Obama’s win that when younger students look at the poster of U.S. presidents they will now see the face of an African-American man.
Kratzer traveled from Austin to visit the school along with his mother, who was on leave from Iraq.
“I am ecstatic that Sen. Obama won because I think he will get us out of Iraq and that is important, we need to come home,” Wanda Tapp-Kratzer said.
“I have faith that he will do it.”
“I am very excited that he is the very first African-American president in the White House. I know a lot of people didn’t run because they were afraid, but he was very brave and I admire him for what he has done,” 11-year-old, Samina Dunbar said.
Sixth-grader Ariel Rocio said she was happy to see a minority candidate elected as president and believes that Obama’s election will bring more jobs to the country.
Jasmine Brister, 11, expressed her hopes for the newly-elected president.
“He is going to be the 44th president and he is going to be the first black person in the White House and will do great things while he is there,” Brister said.
Fifth-grader student Jonathan Carter echoed his classmate’s hopes and was excited that Obama would now be in school history books.
“Now people won’t have an excuse for saying why they can’t do certain things, and I feel this will be one of the best years ever and some of the best history contributed to the United States,” Carter said.
“A lot of young voters were excited to have the chance to contribute to history, and they knew that every vote counted, which was a good message to get across,” Carter said.
Obama’s victory was also an inspiration to 11-year-old Ariel Rocio, a sixth-grader at the school.
“I feel that I can run for president because Barack Obama did it,” Rocio said of the historic election.
In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 election that brought the U.S. its first African-American president, students participated in an election of their own.
On Oct. 30, students at the Stafford-area school engaged in a mock election that brought the voting and election process to life.
Participants learned about the platforms of each of the presidential candidates and the election process and then stepped up to the voting booth to cast their own votes.
Forty-six votes were cast, with 42 in favor of Obama and four for McCain.
To simulate the real voting process, students were given specially-designed election ballots to mark the candidate of their choice and given time to make their selections in individual voting booths.
“Each student was given instructions for voting and then given the chance to mark their ballots privately and place them in a special box,” Billye Moutra, owner of The Bearrington School, said.
Each vote was counted twice and two of the ballots were thrown out due to errors in marking the ballots, said Moutra of the process.
Moutra said that students learned a lot about the campaign process through the innovative mock election project.
Not only did students vote for the presidential candidates, they voted in sixth-grader Samina Dunbar as president and Asia Goss, vice president of the school said Moutra.
Goss and her sister Aailiyah sent a letter and poems to Obama prior to the election and received a letter from the presidential candidate.
“Creating change and making the world better is not always easy, and you will probably find in your life that it is more comfortable to ignore injustices that don’t affect you directly. Don’t take that comfortable road. Challenge yourself to make a difference,” an excerpt from the letter read.
The Missouri City educator and business owner shared in her students’ excitement.
“I’ve never seen an election as exciting as this one and I have been through a few,” said 53-year-old Moutra.
Moutra was present at the Toyota Center when Obama made his campaign stop in Houston and described his speech as “electrifying.”
“To me he stands for promise for our country, what he believes in I believe it can be accomplished,” Moutra said.
“It won’t be accomplished in a day or in a year, but I believe if we all work together to heal our nation where it does not matter about the color of our skin, but the content of your character, every one can not only live in peace, but be properous,” Moutra said.
Before Obama’s election there were no examples for minority youth of an African American being elected president, said 28-year-old Loretta Moutra.
“You can tell them all the time it is possible, you can do it, you can do it, but without an example, it is difficult,” Moutra said.
“We see that it is possible now.”
Myles Kratzer, a 21-year-old former student of the Bearrington School, in town for a visit to the school, said it dawned on him with Obama’s win that when younger students look at the poster of U.S. presidents they will now see the face of an African-American man.
Kratzer traveled from Austin to visit the school along with his mother, who was on leave from Iraq.
“I am ecstatic that Sen. Obama won because I think he will get us out of Iraq and that is important, we need to come home,” Wanda Tapp-Kratzer said.
“I have faith that he will do it.”
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