At noon Tuesday, the first day of classes at Goodrich High School, senior Elizabeth Gray was reading in the school’s media center while about 700 of her classmates were in the auditorium watching President Barack Obama’s ‘Back-to-School? speech.
‘I don’t believe we should be forced to watch Obama,? said Gray. ‘If my parents want me to watch this, we can do it as a family and on our own time.?
Gray’s sentiments were toward Obama’s speech, which drew controversy from some conservatives and was aired via CNN at about 12:05 p.m. to nearly all Goodrich High School students. A handful opted out of watching the 20-minute address from Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va.
Goodrich District Superintendent John Fazer, along with staff, joined students to watch the speech. ‘Obama was encouraging students to stay in school and to work hard,? said Fazer. ‘I was very pleased with his remarks. He was very up front with students to set goals. Obama reinfored what we all believe about education.?
Fazer notified parents prior to the speech via the district web site that if they did not want their child to watch the message they could spend that time reading or doing work in the high school media center.
Following Obama’s introduction by a Wakefield student Goodrich students applauded as he approached the podium. At the conclusion several student commented on the content of the speech.
‘It was a great speech,? said Kaley McCormack, a junior. ? There’s more motivation not to drop out of school.?
Other students were not so impressed with the Back-to-School talk.
‘I went because I felt it was mandatory,? said Josh McGinnis, senior, who sat through the speech. ? I had planned on trying harder this school year anyway. Obama did not inspire me either.?
Other Goodrich students who did not attended Obama’s address to the nations schoolchildren read in the Media Center.
Goodrich Senior Chasey Baker spent her lunch hour in the media center working on homework.
‘My parents wrote me a note asking that I not attend,? said Baker. ‘I am doing what they asked of me.?
Also not attending was Sophomore Abby Jensen.
‘My folks said, ‘don’t go,? and I don’t agree with (Obama) either,? she said.
In the Brandon School District, students did not have the option of watching Obama’s speech as a class.
‘The timeliness was bad for us. It was the first day of school and we needed to get that off the ground first,? said Lorrie McMahon, Brandon superintendent.
‘I watched the speech and we record it so the administration and teachers can watch it first before the students. It’s our policy that when we use material that has not been approved first we give the parents an opportunity to check it out. We were notified of the speech on about Thursday prior to Monday’s speech’by then it was too late. A few parents called and said the district should show the speech others called to complained if we were going to have the students watch the speech.?