Barack is black? These kids hardly notice

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown schools are abuzz with talk of the president-elect, but perhaps for a different reason than their parents.

Principal Diane Guarnieri of Harding Elementary said the talk of the school Wednesday morning was all about Sen. Barack Obama. But speaking with the school’s pupils, between the second and fifth grade, revealed a different take on the election’s significance.

Sure, Obama is the first black man to be elected U.S. president, the children said, but he’s also the guy who can fix the country’s problems.

“He’s our future,” said Tyriq Ellis, a 10-year-old in fourth grade who thinks Obama represents a “good change.”

He and other students spouted a lengthy agenda of items they expect Obama will work to accomplish. Among their objectives for the 44th president, the pupils said, are helping the environment, repairing a broken economy and making school affordable.

For the full story, see Thursday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.