COPPERAS COVE, TX — Students at Copperas Cove Middle School used Inauguration Day as a chance to become a president, even if only for a brief moment.
The students in Sheila Gilbert's sixth grade humanities class learned what it means for a president to take the oath of office and address the nation.
After a few short videos of president's past and current taking their oath, the class put themselves in presidential shoes.
The assignment was to pick their top three agenda items if they were president and write an inaugural address of their own.
“It’s to write on Inauguration Day what our top priorities would be,” said student Brooke Doolan.
The assignment is something Gilbert says helps the students understand these hard times.
”They are very aware of issues that are going on today. You know, they see the things that are happening with the pandemic and with a lot of divide and hatred going on, and they want to make things better too,” she said.
The top properties for the students covered a wide range of topics, from ending racism and COVID-19 to feeding the hungry and helping children with special need. One student even put animals at the top of her list.
“My first one was to help animals have a better environment because everyone is throwing trash and stuff and it’s not helping the animals and some animals help us,” said Emmalee Cobb.
The idea of being in the president's shoes was great, but the historical moment of now Vice President Kamala Harris taking her oath wasn’t lost on students either.
”It’s amazing because it shows other females that they can do that one day too,” said student Isabella Hunt.
“I think it’s awesome and that there should be way more female presidents and vice presidents, and we definitely need more female rulers in the world,” said student Daphne Lachica.
All 26 students in the class took their top few agenda items and wrote their own inaugural speeches in their journals. They all believed it was a great commemorate the swearing in of the new president and vice president of the United States.
