CedarBridge students see Obama pass by

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25: A group of students who attended the inauguration of US President Barack Obama were able to see him up close and personal.

Twenty-one students from CedarBridge Academy flew to Washington, DC to watch history as President Obama was sworn in for the second time.

They returned on Wednesday.

Anthony Wade, deputy principal at CedarBridge, travelled with the students and said the students not only had a great vantage point, but saw the President in his motorcade.

“While they were on the way to the Martin Luther King Memorial, they were stopped as his motorcade passed by.

“They saw him and one of his daughters. One student filmed to entire process.”

Mr Wade said the entire trip was a “resounding success.

Ticketed

“First, we had a great location to watch the inauguration in the first section behind the ticketed areas.

“In order to get the spot, we had to be there at 5am.  Students were awakened at 3am and at the train station at 4am.

“By the time we got to our spot, there were already several thousand people in that section.”

He continued: “The other highlights were the changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington, the Changing American Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute, the visit to the King and Lincoln memorials as well as the visit at Howard University.

“Overall the students learned about the importance that Americans attach to Washington, DC and the American heroes.”

He said that was articulated in many different ways throughout the city.

“They also experienced the sheer magnitude of being on a field with one million other persons.”