GMC News

GMC students return from inauguration

Jonathan Jackson
The Union-Recorder

As more than 1 million people traveled to Washington, D.C. earlier this week to witness the inauguration of the nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama, eight GMC students took part in events that will be embedded in their lives as memories of living history.

John Austin Vance, Taey Wright, Colby Pennington, Sean Tighe, Kevin Kotrick, Ayres Wimberly, Delarrion Milner and Jamarcus Jarrett all attended the inauguration either with family or through school-related organizations.

Three of the students shared their experiences with The Union-Recorder.

Jarrett and Milner traveled with family and included stops in Hershey, Pa. and the Blue Mountains on their voyage.

“Well, we had a great time with all the events, but I think the inauguration has to be the most interesting. I’m just glad that Delarrion and I got to experience history in our time,” Jarrett said. “Another exciting event was the snowboarding at Blue Mountain. What an exciting event, even though it was freezing cold. The last thing I enjoyed was Hershey World, where we learned a lot about Milton S. Hershey and his extraordinary life growing in Hershey, Pa. to become a world famous chocolatier.”

Milner echoed Jarrett’s sentiments and recalled the historic significance of the event.

“I had an awesome time in Hershey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. The fun started at the hotel that we stayed in. We enjoyed pelting each other with snowballs,” Milner said. “On Monday we went to go snowboarding on the Blue Mountains of the Poconos. I had a lot of fun, it was even fun falling! Then came the inauguration. It was truly an honor to be at the historic moment in history. People from all across the nation came to see President Obama be sworn into office. We didn’t get a good view of him, but we heard the people talking into the microphone. We also got a chance to see the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol building, and many other famous monuments. We had to walk about 30 miles just on Inauguration Day! My nephew had his birthday on the day of the inauguration. That was an added bonus to the trip. Last but certainly not least was the trip to the Hershey factory where I learned about Milton Hershey, who created the candy and town.”

Sean Tighe attended the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference.

“I took [photos] during the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference,” Tighe said. “[It was] a once in a lifetime experience in which I was able to attend the inauguration.”

Tighe is a 10th-grader at GMC. Tighe, Vance, Wright, and Pennington attended the Presidential Youth Inauguration Conference, and Kevin Kotrick attended the Presidential Classroom. Wimberly attended the inauguration through the People to People Student Ambassador program.