Inquirer staff writer Dan Hardy reports:

At the Toby Farms Elementary School in Delaware County’s Chester-Upland School District, it was all-Obama, and all “Yes We Can,” all day.

At the start of the school day, sixth grade students formed a “Yes We Can” human chain in the school’s parking lot, spelling out the words.

Hallways were decorated with pictures of Obama, surrounded by red, white and blue bunting, under the words “We are Family.”

At an assembly, students, dressed in red, white and blue shirts to honor the day, sang a “Yes We Can” song, along with God Bless America, Lift Every Voice and Sing and the Star Spangled Banner. After the inauguration ceremony, classes engaged in a variety of activities, ranging from building a popsicle stick White House to writing “If I were President” essays and composing “Yes We Can” poems. “Inaugural Ball” student dances were scheduled for the end of the day.

Many of the school’s students saw the Inauguration ceremony streamed through laptop computers and projected on large white boards in the front of their classroom. They clapped and cheered when Obama took the Oath of Office, and throughout his speech.

In one fifth-grade classroom, teacher Stacie Hall-Hardy sought to make the event a teachable moment for her class, all of whom were African Americans. “You will always remember this day, even when you are 60 or 70,” she said. “This is a new day; it brings hope for the people, not just for black people, not just for minorities, but for all the people.” She said that Obama’s message to her students was one of “selflessness; it’s not just about you, but what you can do for other people. Doing something for someone else makes you feel good.”

Many students shared the excitement. “I was happy; I was about to cry a little bit,” said fifth grader Edward Nelson, 11. “It’s good to see, because of all the black violence that has gone on, that someone can stop it.” Nelson also said he hoped Obama can “bring the economy up and help homeless people who don’t have a place” to stay.

Fifth grader Tranieh Womack, also 11, said: “I feel excited … I hope Obama keeps his promise to help our county and make it a better place.”

Patricia Parente-Sofia, the principal of the 540-student school, said she had decided on a whole day of Obama events for the children in order to “do something special, so they can remember this day in history - to remember where they were.” Since Obama’s election, she said, “I see a new brightness on their faces; there is a new attitude. I cry, watching them be so connected to this event. … It’s something I never expected to see in my lifetime.”

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Inquirer staff writer Marcia Gelbart reports:

Watching Obama's speech inside his office, Ernest Jones, president and chief executive officer of the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp., said he was "personally inspired" - but stopped there.

"I'm somewhat sobered by the enormity of everything that has to be done to get the country moving in the right direction," he said. "You don't want to have your expectations be unrealistic."
At the same time, he said: "I was personally inspired by the events today. The fact we have an African American president means we have gotten past certain things in America." 

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Inquirer staff writer Kristen A. Graham reports:

At Fitler Elementary School in Germantown, where students started the “Obama Hope Organization” to do good deeds in the new president’s name, Rachae Pringle’s fifth grade class watched the inauguration on a giant projector screen.

“They’re watching this all around the world,” Pringle told her students, who dressed in red, white and blue and brought food to school for an inauguration party. “You guys have to understand the magnitude of today.”

Jerome Brown, father of fifth grader Jerome Brown Jr., came to Fitler because he wanted to witness history with his son, who is 10. Jerome Brown Sr. folded himself into a tiny plastic chair and watched the festivities with wonder.

“I don’t have to give him the speech anymore — ‘Son, you can be anything you want to be,’” said Brown, 42. “He sees that now.”

Third grader Makalah Lawton, 9, didn’t take her eyes off the screen as the president delivered his inaugural address. When Obama mentioned “a new era of responsibility,” she clapped and cheered.

“He’s not just black; he’s an American,” said Makalah, a serious little girl who bets she’ll be the first woman president someday. “I didn’t see him in person, but I feel like he’s telling me, ‘Yes, we can.’” 

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Inquirer staff writer Jillian Smith reports:

The Pennysaver convenience store on the corner of Wayne Avenue and Apsley Street in Germantown was empty during the usual lunchtime rush. With no TV, store owner Yunnie Kim and cashier Jimmae Little could not watch the inauguration. To be honest, there was nothing to prove that today was a day in history except for the lack of customers. Maybe they were elsewhere viewing Obama’s speech?

Then, at noon, two men broke the silence in the store to order lunch at the deli counter. “I don't care too much for Obama. I voted for McCain,” said Malik Carter. Carter and his friend Bryant Peoples continued to joke about Obama, mainly about his middle name being Hussein.

Other than that, no real chatter was going on about the inauguration. Work went on as usual with Yunnie Kim, ringing up Peoples’ and Carters’ lunch orders and Little selling lottery tickets to three other customers. Kim’s husband, Han, stocked the shevles with candy.

“People must be really watching it because they're not coming in for their daily numbers!” Little exclaimed. The daily number lottery drawing ended at 1 p.m.

At around 12:15 p.m. Rob Cosson walked in and ordered a sandwich. "I want to watch my shows at 12:30 p.m. Gotta watch my Young and the Restless. I’ll catch everything on the news at 5 o'clock. Why do I need to watch it now? It's going to be on all day!"

Yunnie Kim switched the radio from a hip-hop station to KYW at 12:30 p.m. to listen to inaugural coverage. Not even two minutes later, another co-worker came in and turned the radio back to the hip-hop station. "It's going to be on all day!" he said.
By 12:45 p.m. the store started to get busy - finally. Sandwiches were ordered, lottery tickets purchased. "I guess he's sworn in already," Little said.

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Inquirer staff writer Joelle Farrell reports:

2:05 p.m.

In Delaware County, 100 second and third grade students from the Widener Partnership Charter School gathered with about 100 university faculty and staff to watch the inauguration on a large movie projector screen in Lathem Hall, formerly a church.

Some of the elementary school students dozed off, while others squirmed in their chairs, their feet swinging. Others tried to ignore the distractions around them, taking in a moment they have been told was something to remember.

College students and faculty who gathered were mostly solemn, some leaning forward in their chairs, their hands holding up their chins, hanging on every word Obama uttered. Some were so mesmerized that they sat still, watching the screen, as others in the room clapped along with the crowd in D.C..

Afterwards, Annette Anderson, 37, an African American and the principal of the charter school, choked up while explaining how it felt to watch Obama’s inauguration.

“To think that our children now have a president who says we are all Americans,” she said. “From the Freedom Riders and those who marched …. All the people that were hosed in the South and discriminated against in the north,” now African American children “will have opportunities that even I didn’t have.”

Jazsmine Jackson, 8, a third-grade student from Upland, said she was glad to see so many people in Washington cheering for Obama.

“Barack Obama is going to be president and he is going to change things,” she said. “He’s an interesting man.”

Jackson, whose mother is a soldier serving in Kuwait, said she is proud that Obama mentioned the soldiers deployed overseas. She said she hopes her mother can help children in other parts of the world.

“I think that one day, they’ll have the same freedom,” she said.

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Inquirer staff writer Jeff Shields reports:

Councilman Curtis Jones Jr.’s staff gathered in the 3rd Floor City Hall office of his legislative Counsel, Shoshanna Bricklin, to watch the inauguration. The phones were quiet -- apparently the constituents of the Councilman’s 4th District were busy watching as well. It all unfolded on the Councilman’s 52-inch Sony flatscreen, bought with campaign funds, which adorns the office wall. It’s the kind of thing usually seen in emergency management centers; here it’s normally used for Powerpoint presentations.

Legislative Aide Morgan Cephas liked the fact that Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts couldn’t get the oath straight – it made the new President more human. Josh Cohen, director of legislative services, cheered the new vice-president as the most famous graduate of the University of Delaware. Cohen claimed second place for himself before realisitically settling for third behind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

It was Councilman Jones, however, who put the stamp on the party, texting in from his own gathering out in the District.

His message, simply: “A day that only God could have made!”

 

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Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Tamari reports:


Edith Savage-Jennings, an old friend of Coretta Scott King’s, said she was overcome with emotion and cried as President Obama took the oath of office and delivered his speech.

“All I could think of was Martin, Coretta,” she said. “It’s hard to say how you feel. I’m just excited and I’m just so joyful.”

Jennings’ Coretta Scott King Humanitarian Group hosted a viewing party in Trenton.

“He left me here for this day,” said Jennings, 84. “As years go on, I may not be here much longer, but that’s alright.”

Ophelia Hughley, who started her school days in segregated classes in South Carolina, said after the swearing in:

“That’s my president,” before adding, “that is our president.”


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Inquirer staff writer Emilie Lounsberry reports:

A block from the Liberty Bell, the western side of Independence Mall was packed – and cheers rang out when President Obama took the oath of office as thousands watched the big-screen monitor. Obama flags, Obama posters and Obama hats marked the moment. One woman clutched a copy of Time magazine with Obama’s face on the cover. A little boy waved a placard with Obama’s picture on it.

And there were cheers anew when the new president proclaimed, “We have chosen hope over fear.”

The mall was filled as far as the eye could see. Young and old. Black and white. Moms carrying sleepy children with rosy cheeks. Three young African American girls held up a hot-pink poster declaring, “My president is black” and “Change is good.”

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Inquirer staff writer Martha Woodall reports:

The Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center erupted in pandemonium as Barack Obama was sworn in today.

More than 600 students and parents from Independence Charter School in Center City screamed, applauded and pumped their fists in the air.

Tony Harrison, a third-grader, said “it seems like a very special day. He’s my role model. I want to be just like him. He’s honest, he’s trustworthy and he’s a good man.”

Because the school does not have an auditorium or gymnasium to accomodate its entire student body of 732, arrangements were made with Perelman for third-through eighth-graders to watch the live telecast there.

“It was important for the students to see such a historic event together,“ said Independence CEO Jurate Krokys.

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