Central students have prime seat to history
Twenty-eight Naperville Central High School students will have a front seat to history Tuesday as they head to Washington, D.C., to witness the inauguration of our nation's 44th president. The students have NCHS social studies teacher Donna Mohn and U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert to thank for the experience.
"You have a great opportunity," Biggert said when she addressed the students Friday in preparation for their trip. "I didn't get to go to an inauguration until I was elected to Congress."
(Charles Dharapak/The Associated Press)
• Local inauguration events
In October 2007, before the presidential primaries, Mohn was contacted by Smithsonian Student Travel, which was coordinating trips to Washington, D.C., for the 2009 presidential inauguration. Mohn had the foresight to think that regardless of the outcome of the election, the swearing-in of a new president would be a major event for our country.
"We were going to have a changing of the guard," Mohn said, "And whoever it was, it as going to be huge. So we were sure some kids would be interested."
Her prediction was right. She had 28 students sign up, still not knowing who they were going to see be sworn in.
"I've always had a big interest in politics and United States history," said Emily Van Etten, an NCHS junior going on the trip. "It just seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience."
Also going on the trip is NCHS student Dillon Shoemaker, who has been selected by Biggert as a congressional page. After the inauguration, Shoemaker will be returning to Washington for 4 1/2 months to serve as a page and attend school there. In addition to Mohn, three other NCHS social studies teachers will be chaperoning the trip as well.
Although the tour company was taking them to the inauguration, the students were initially told they were going to be watching from the public viewing area. What they did not know when they signed up for the trip was that in the fall of 2008, before the election, Mohn had contacted Biggert's office in the hope of securing tickets for the inauguration. According to Biggert, 2,200 people asked for tickets, but Mohn was the fourth person to make the request and so Biggert gave her 32 of her allotted 198 tickets.
"The tickets were a long shot," Mohn said. "I never thought I'd get them."
So, instead of the students being in the public viewing area, they will be among the 200,000 ticket holders, which may include many famous faces both politically and in entertainment.
"This is a really historic inauguration," said Biggert, "And that is why people are so excited about being there."
In addition to the inauguration, the students, who will be in Washington from Sunday through Wednesday, will tour D.C. visiting museums and the monuments. And, to get the full inaugural experience, they will even get dressed up and attend an inaugural ball put together specifically for the 5,000 students from schools throughout the United States taking part in Smithsonian Student Travel tours.
When she spoke to the students, Biggert offered them many tips from her experience, letting them know there will be plenty of traffic and security delays, to get sleep now and not to dress for fashion, but for warmth.
"It's an honor to be there to see what goes on," said Biggert. "You're going to love it."
